As if he’d heard her thought, his voice came low and certain against her ear. “Whatever thought you just had — discard it. This is about us, Suzette. You and me. Whatever lies beyond this room is just noise.”
Her pulse still raced, but the panic that had spiked a moment ago ebbed as his words sank in. He’d chosen her. Out ofeveryone,her.He’d sought her out, crossed an ocean to stand here, to be with her.
In the mirror, his gaze held hers, steady and unguarded. She felt the truth of it in every breath. “You chose me,” she whispered, her voice trembling but sure.
His lips brushed her temple, a promise more than a kiss. “I will always choose you, Suzette.”
The thought shuddered through her again — he’dchosenher.
He was in her bedroom, undressing her, about to make love to her.
And somehow, impossibly, there was a rightness to it.
There was no room for doubts. Not here. Not now.
And tomorrow? Tomorrow would look after itself.
They hadnow.
She slumped back against him, feeling the hard press of his need — forher— in the small of her back.
Gaze still locked with hers in the mirror, he murmured, “She’s back.”
Her lips curved, breath catching. “I’m back.”
Justin trailed his lips across her shoulder, reigniting the spark of her desire. Her breasts strained against the confines of her bra, aching for release. For his touch. Her lips parted to urge him on, but he seemed to read her mind.
His fingers traced a slow path up her midriff, then higher, and released the clasp holding her bra together with deft precision. He eased the soft green silk aside, revealing her to him. “Beautiful,” he whispered.
In the mirror, the pendant lay like a drop of seafoam against her skin, the agate beads catching the lamplight in soft glimmers. His finger slid beneath the weighty stone, lifting it gently from her skin.
And then … then he swept it from side to side, the cool beads rolling over her sensitive nipples. Her breath hitched. So, he did it again. And again.
Her pulse hammered, her breath quickened.
A smile played on his lips. “So responsive.”
“You’re wicked.”
“Very.”
He removed the pendant and stepped back, placing it carefully on the dresser. She used the moment to slip the straps of her bra down her arms, then turned to face him.
“Uh-uh,” he murmured, his hand gentle but firm as he shifted her back toward the mirror.
For a fleeting moment, panic returned.What madness is this, Suzette?
But then his hands touched her breasts, and her thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind, leaving only sensation. The rasp of his palms against her skin. The sure glide of his fingers tracing and teasing until she could barely breathe.
When one hand slipped lower, disappearing under the silk, seeking her hidden warmth, she gasped, every nerve sparking at his touch. They both groaned, the sound raw and shared. She arched back into him, his arm tightening to hold her against him, his breath hot against her neck, his lips and teeth finding her skin — nipping, tasting, soothing.
She wanted to close her eyes, but the image in the mirror held her spellbound. Their reflections moved in perfect rhythm, her breath rising and falling with his, desire pulsing at the very center of her being.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against her ear, voice rough with feeling. “So responsive … Come for me, my love.”
His words were the final push. The world seemed to dissolve around her — light, breath, and heartbeat tangling into onefierce rush. When the trembling passed, she sagged against him, boneless and spent.
Justin caught her easily, his strength the only thing keeping her from sliding to the floor. Holding her until the trembling eased, his chin resting in her hair, his thumb tracing lazy circles along her ribs.
