199Lazy fingers trailed a line across the planes of Sasuke's chest, circling around his nipples before darting lower to tickle his abdomen. Sakura turned her head to kiss his chest before locking eyes with him, a sated grin on her lips. "Happy first anniversary."
And what an anniversary it had been. To start the day, Sasuke had taken her out to breakfast, gifting her with a pair of incredibly beautiful emerald earrings. After they returned to Sakura's apartment, she had given him his gift—her. She instructed him to wait in the kitchen while she fetched his present, only to emerge from her room a short time later wearing nothing but a bow around her neck. His eyes heated instantly, and he growled his approval before pouncing on her right there in the living room. It had taken a long time before they managed to make it to the bedroom.
She had another present for him, of course, despite him insisting that he didn't need anything. Sakura had heard that there would be a Formula One race in a couple of weeks, so she bought two tickets, knowing how much he would enjoy himself. The tickets cost almost a month's worth of wages, but it was worth it, knowing how happy the day out would make him. She would wait for later to give them to him, though, since she didn't want to leave the comfort of his embrace just yet.
Sasuke's fingers were kneading the back of her neck, loosening the tension that was there. He had started doing that a lot after realizing how tightly wound her job made her, and she loved it. Sakura leaned into his touch—if she was a cat, she would be purring.
They were quiet for a long time, Sakura almost having fallen asleep when Sasuke said, "Move in with me."
Her eyes popped open and she pushed herself off his body to stare at him. "What?"
"Move in with me, Sakura," he repeated. "I want to live together."
"What about your mother? I can't take you away from her."
"Mum will still be there, of course. Technically, you'll be moving in with both of us."
Sakura didn't mind, but she wasn't sure how Mikoto would feel about that situation. She was a grown woman—she needed her own space. "How does Mikoto feel about that? Will I get in the way?"
Sasuke sighed, giving her a stern look before pulling her against his chest again. "If you're going to keep making excuses, we should just get married. That way you'll have no choice but to live with me."
She couldn't help but laugh at his logic and she tilted her head back to stare into his eyes. "Are you really going to propose just to get me to live in the same house as you?"
"I'm going to marry you anyway, so why not?" he replied, his eyes serious as they gazed back at her.
Her heart was flooded with affection from his words and she gave him a teasing smile. "What if I was expecting some over-the-top romantic proposal, huh?"
Sasuke's pierced brow lifted and he looked at her like she was insane. "Who do you think you're dating, doc? Did you really expect something romantic from me?"
Sakura laughed with a shake of her head. She decided not to remind him about what he had given her at breakfast—to her, that had been romantic. "No, I guess not." She kissed him softly before leaning away. "You know I'd say yes no matter how you asked me, right? I love you and that's all that matters to me."
His eyes bore into hers, full of passion and love and satisfaction. He pulled her in for a toe-curling kiss before letting go and rolling away from her. Sakura watched him as he leaned over the bed, his ass on full display and she shamelessly eyed it while he rummaged through his bedside table. After a few seconds of fiddling and grumbling, he rolled back to her, procuring a small box.
"Naruto said I should take you somewhere special, like a waterfall or the beach or something," he said, his voice quiet and eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the box.
Was he worried he hadn't proposed properly, despite his previous words? Sakura grasped his face in her hands and sent him a loving smile. "Screw Naruto."
"I'd rather screw you," he replied, his voice turning husky again. Sakura saw his cock harden and her own libido tightened in response.
"I want to make sure with Mikoto that she is okay with this, first," Sakura told him, trying to keep her mind clear for the moment. "I know she cares about me, but this is a big step. I don't want to intrude on her personal space."
"I've already asked her. She's fine with it—thrilled, actually. She's been the one hassling me to pop the question for months."
Of course she had. Sweet, kind, selfless Mikoto who always thought of others before herself. Sakura teared up, thinking about how she had lucked out with the most incredible man and the best future mother-in-law she could possibly ask for.
Sasuke kissed her, his thumbs wiping her tears before they could fall to her chin. He opened the box and took her left hand, sliding the emerald encrusted gold ring onto her finger. Sakura half laughed, half sobbed and held up her hand to inspect it. "You do realize you've made it impossible to top your next anniversary gift? Two presents in one day—you'll be scrambling next year."
He pulled her close to him, leaning against the pillows and resting her head on his chest. "I always have my body I can gift you with," he joked.
Sakura hummed approvingly, her fingers beginning to trace the lines of his chest once more. "That would work."
Sasuke's hand trailed a teasing line down her body before curling around the pink hairs near her pelvis. "You ready for another round, Mrs. Uchiha?" he asked, fingers delving between her slick folds.
She pushed against his hand, moaning at the contact. Leaning up, Sakura kissed his chin, enjoying the feel of stubble against her skin. "I'm ready when you are, Darling."
.
.
.
"You're a doctor. Shouldn't you be used to needles?"
Sasuke watched in amusement as his fiancée's face continued to pale at the needle the tattoo artist was fiddling with in preparation. She pried her eyes away from the contraption just long enough to glare at him. "I am fine with needles, thank you very much. I just don't like the idea of getting jabbed with one for recreational purposes. It hurts, doesn't it?"
He enjoyed the worry in her eyes, realizing her concern was for him and not because she had a weak stomach. He rested his arms behind his head, a smirk on his lips as he gazed into her emerald eyes. "If you're worried, doc, feel free to kiss me to distract me from the pain."
"Why did you want me here anyway?" she asked with a huff, though a smile had found its way to her face. God, he loved it when she smiled.
She eyed his bare torso, lying flat on the table ready for the tattoo artist to work his magic. The slow perusal of her gaze on his body had his groin tightening and he had to fight back a groan when her eyes returned to his, her own having darkened with desire.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone light. "I'm about to mark my body with your name, doc. I thought you might want to see it."
"I do." She took the seat by his head and kissed him. When she pulled away, she looked amused. "I'm a bit worried what name you're going to choose to use, though. You're not going to just have 'Doc' written there, will you? Or maybe 'Doc Uchiha'."
He grinned, the idea too amusing to ignore. "Now that you mention it, maybe I should."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I would love to see you regret that decision after the amusement wears off."
The tattoo artist finished his preparations—or maybe he was just waiting for them to shut up. He turned to them, needle in hand, and Sakura paled again. Sasuke caught her hand in one of his, bringing it close to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "It's fine, Sakura. I've done this a thousand times."
"Maybe you need to kiss me as a distraction," she mumbled, eyeing the needle with apprehension.
Sasuke tugged on her hand and she leaned closer, resting her face near his. "I wouldn't be opposed to that."
"You two ready?" the tattoo artist asked, an exasperated expression on his face.
"Ready?" Sasuke asked her. "You know you're not allowed to leave after this. Once your name is on my body, you'll be mine forever, Sakura."
"I would be yours forever with or without my name carved into your skin, Sasuke." She touched his cheek tenderly and Sasuke had to fight the desire to press against it like a cat.
Sasuke loved the way she touched him, like he was the most precious thing in her life. He also knew it was sappy as hell to think like that, but he didn't care. His life hadn't been all sunshine and roses—some of that due to his own decisions—and he hadn't thought he would ever get to feel this kind of love with someone. But damn, was he glad he had been wrong.
The needle began to buzz and Sasuke knew he would soon feel the lick of pain that accompanied it once it pierced his skin. He reached up, grabbing Sakura by the back of her neck, and pulling her close to his face. "Distract me," he whispered, his lips touching hers the same moment the needle breached his skin.
It hurt—of course it did, he was human after all—but he barely registered the pain with the distraction of his fiancée's pretty pink mouth on his. Before too long the procedure was finished, and the tattoo artist began cleaning and dressing the skin.
He would have to wait a couple of days before he could take the dressing off and see Sakura's name on his skin for the first time. Just the thought of her name on his body had him wanting to grin like an idiot, and he didn't even care who saw. He had never been this happy before.
It had taken a long time, but finally Sakura was his. Soon—in only a few short weeks—they would tie the knot as husband and wife, becoming one flesh. The thought didn't scare him like it used to when he had been younger. Instead, the thought of living with the woman he loved until they grew old and grey filled him with intense contentment and joy.
Sakura rubbed her hand up his arm, bringing his attention back to her. She cocked her head, her eyes warm and questioning. "What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking about how much I love you," he replied, sitting up from the table and drawing her in for a quick kiss.
"Are you getting emotional on me, Mr. Uchiha?" Her words were teasing, but he could see the tears shining in her eyes.
He grunted in response, pecking her lips again. "Don't get used to it."
She grinned and held out her hand, helping him off the table. "I wouldn't dare."
They left the tattoo parlour and made their way to Sakura's vehicle, a small Mazda 2 that was only a few years old. Sasuke had searched long and hard for a decent car for her before finding it. He would have preferred to get her something a bit larger, since they were safer, but she preferred smaller vehicles. He had made a deal with the old owner and had fixed up some issues before presenting it to her. She was mad, since he hadn't checked with her first, but he knew she loved it.
Looking at Sakura now, with her long pink hair flowing down her back while her emerald eyes glanced up at him with enough love and adoration to leave him breathless, Sasuke knew he would never tire of her. She was everything he could have ever wanted—strong, smart, funny, caring, kind—and he looked forward to starting the next chapter of their lives together.
"You're giving me that look again," she teased, her eyes dancing with amusement from where she stood on the other side of the car.
"What look?"
"The look where you're contemplating whether you'd rather wrap me up in silk or handcuff me to the bed." The look in her eye told him which she would rather him do, and his groin tightened in response. "What are you smiling about?"
Sasuke replied instantly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm happy."
And he was. More than he ever thought possible.
The End.
I can't believe it's finally finished! I want to thank each and every person who followed this story, and to those who took time to comment and give me encouragement to keep going. I appreciate all of you and I assure you that this story could never have been finished without your enthusiasm.
One of my dear readers asked if I could make more to this story, despite it ending (like one-shots). I have another story I want to finish now that this one is done, but if any of you have ideas of what you'd like to see more of from this couple, please feel free to share it with me.
Please leave a comment/review about the story. I would love to hear from everyone, especially now that the story has come to an end. Once again, thank you for being part of this story with me, and I hope to see you in future stories too.
