Daniel kisses me as he starts to move with more purpose, hitting that spot inside me that makes stars burst behind my eyes.
My legs wrap around his waist, pulling him deeper. He groans my name, and I feel it reverberate through my entire body.
“Look at me,” he says roughly. “Don’t close your eyes. I want to see you.”
So I keep my eyes open, locked with his, as pleasure builds between us. There’s nowhere to hide now. Daniel’s rhythm quickens. My nails rake down his back as tension coils tighter and tighter inside me.
“I can’t—” I gasp. “Daniel, I can’t hold on—”
“Then let go.” His hand slides between us, fingers finding that bundle of nerves. “Let go, Bailey. I’ve got you.”
The orgasm crashes through me like a wave. I cry out his name, body arching beneath him as pleasure washes over me in rolling pulses.
He follows seconds later, my name breaking from his lips. His body shudders, and I hold him through it, feeling every tremor.
We stay locked together for a long moment, both breathing hard, hearts racing in sync.
Finally, he shifts, rolling to the side but keeping me pulled against him. I settle with my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow.
“You make it quiet,” he murmurs into my hair.
I smile against his skin. “Maybe you finally stopped fighting it.”
His chest moves with silent laughter. “Maybe I did.”
We lie there in comfortable silence, fingers tracing lazy patterns on each other’s skin. For the first time since this whole arrangement started, I let myself imagine this could last, that the man holding me might actually be mine.
“What are you thinking?” he asks.
“That I could get used to this.”
“Good.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Because I don’t plan on letting you go.”
The words settle into my heart. I close my eyes as exhaustion and contentment pull me back toward sleep.
This is what I’ve been afraid to want. And now, wrapped in Daniel’s arms with London waking up outside our window, everything finally makes sense.
***
I don’t know how long we sleep, but I wake to the sound of Daniel’s phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand.
He reaches for it, body still warm against mine, and I feel him tense the moment he reads the screen.
“Fuck.”
The single word is enough to make my stomach drop.
Daniel sits up, taking the warmth with him, and answers. “What is it?”
I watch as his expression hardens with each passing second. His jaw clenches, his free hand forming a fist on his thigh.
“When?” Pause. “How bad?” Another pause. “Completely?”
My heart starts racing.
Daniel listens for another minute, his face becoming more closed off with each second. With a disappointed sigh, I realize we may be heading back to factory settings.
“Handle the press. I’ll call the board when I land.” He hangs up without saying goodbye.
