For the first time in longer than I could remember, my mind was quiet. Peaceful. Free.
And I was exactly where I needed to be.
CAM
Iwoke up to the weight of Emily’s body sprawled across mine, one leg hooked over my thigh, her face pressed into my chest. Her breathing was slow and even, her hair a mess of blonde tangles that tickled my jaw.
The feel of her in my arms was so goddamn perfect, I didn’t want to move. So I didn’t. I just lay there, listening to her breathing, watching a reel of last night’s greatest hits in my mind’s eye.
Emily, kneeling on the floor, letting me turn her body into a piece of art.
Emily, watching herself in the mirror as I made her come.
Emily, gazing up at me through her lashes while I fucked her mouth.
Emily, tied up to the bed, her legs spread…
For about three seconds, it was perfect.
Then I remembered.
I fucking love you.
Oh. Right. So that happened.
Fuck.
The words echoed in my head exactly as I’d said them last night, my voice rough and wrecked while I’d had her spread open and tied to my bed.
I’d watched her fall apart, and the truth had just... fallen out of my mouth.
My chest went tight as I stared at the ceiling, replaying the moment.
I wasn’t freaking out about it, about loving her. That should probably concern me more than it did, given how spectacularly my marriage had imploded.
But this felt different. She felt different. Or maybe I was different.
Either way, I was in love with Emily McIntyre and I was… completely fine with that. Happy about it, actually.
I fucking love you.
The time to declare your undying love to the woman of your dreams was probably not while she was tied to your bed, but here we were.
I scrubbed my hand over my face, dragging in a deep breath as I replayed the moment in my head.
I was searching for any sign that she’d heard me, that she’d reacted. But there’d been nothing. No flinch, no pause, not even a hitch in her breathing. I’d kept moving, kept working her body, and she’d just continued to drift in that headspace where nothing existed except sensation and trust.
Which meant either she’d heard me and had pretended she hadn’t, or she’d been so far gone she hadn’t processed it at all.
I didn’t know which option made my stomach twist harder.
Emily’s breathing changed, grew lighter. Her fingers flexed against my skin, and I felt the exact moment she woke up because her whole body went still for a beat, then relaxed again when she remembered where she was.
This was it. How she was with me now would tell me everything I needed to know.
“Morning,” I said, keeping my voice low and easy.
She tilted her head back to look at me, and the drowsy smile she gave me made my heart squeeze so hard I could barely breathe. “Hi.”
