“It’s not because I’m ashamed,” I add quickly. “Or because I don’t want this. I do. I just… Sam’s been there my whole life. He’s protective in a way that’s complicated. And I want to tell him when I know I can stand in front of him and not flinch.”
Will studies me, then nods once. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
He shifts to the edge of his seat, then comes to sit beside me on the couch. His hand finds my knee, warm and solid.
“You’re not just mine in secret,” he says. “Not to me. Doesn’t matter if Sam knows or not. I’m yours. And I know you’re mine.”
My throat tightens. “You really mean that?”
“I wouldn’t be sitting in this office, watching you steal my concentration every five minutes, if I didn’t.”
I laugh through the sudden swell of emotion, leaning into him. “You’re a terrible multitasker.”
“Yeah, well,” he smirks, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth, “you’re a hell of a distraction.”
I curl into him, his arm wrapping around my shoulders like it’s where I belong.
“One more month,” I whisper.
He kisses the top of my head.
“I can wait,” he says. “Just don’t make me wait forever.”
The silence in Will’s office stretches long after I ask him to wait another month. He says he understands. And I believe him. But I can still feel the tension rolling off of him. He’s being patient, but it’s costing him.
So I close my laptop quietly and stand.
His eyes flick up from the desk, cautious.
“Let me make it up to you,” I say softly.
He leans back in his chair, arms folding as he studies me. “You don’t owe me anything, sugar.”
“I know,” I murmur, walking toward him slowly. “But I still want to.”
I slide between his legs, my hands resting on his thighs. His breath hitches the second I reach for the top button of his shirt.
He grabs my wrist gently. “What are you doing?”
My eyes lift to meet his. “Showing you how much I don’t take you for granted.”
I undo the next button.
And then the next.
By the time I have the shirt open, his skin is warm under my palms, taut and solid and familiar. I lean in and press a kiss to his chest, right over his heart.
Will swears under his breath. “Phern…”
I sink to my knees before he can talk me out of it.
His hands tense on the arms of the chair as I trail kisses down his stomach, slow and unhurried, loving the way his body reacts to every brush of my lips.
“You’re gonna kill me,” he mutters.
I smile against his skin. “Then I’ll make it a good death.”
