“Is it, though? Perhaps we’re more similar than you care to admit. Only I call it winning, and you call it not losing.”
“I just don’t feel there is anything I want to win lately.”
“You won me over.” With two fingers he lifts my chin, mirth flickering in his eyes. “There isn’t much left to strive for.”
I laugh. “I guess I did win.”
He looks at me, really looks at me, and his entire face softens. “And you turn this sprinter into a marathon runner.”
Is he really in this for the long run? Maybe I have a tendency to romanticize men, but I know with this one, he is really who he showed me he is. Not the business leader. Not the carefree playboy. Not the reckless billionaire.
Just a caring, funny, smart man who puts me first, while Istruggle to do so myself.
“A marathon… Hmmm… I’m not worried about you. I’ve seen you go three rounds without breaking a sweat.” I pivot to straddle him, cupping his neck.
His grin widens. “Is that an invitation?”
“Nope.” I lick my lips. “It’s a challenge.”
“Careful what you wish for, Mrs. Winslow-Stone.” He yanks me to him, his hand immediately under my skirt.
I yelp and laugh and surrender to his playfulness, because it makes me forget about the rest of the world, and that’s what I need.
“I need you,” I whisper.
“I know.” He kisses me. “I need you too.”
And just like that, the energy between us shifts yet again, pulling us deeper. Better. More.
But as the next few days confirm, not forever.
Chapter 24
Xander
“Are you nervous?” I buckle up while Cora fidgets in her seat.
The flight attendant brings us our drinks.
“If you’re asking about flying, I’m super excited. I had one unexpected experience on a private jet, but I’ve never flown first class.” She grins like a kid at Christmas, but then bites her lip. “If you’re asking about meeting your family, I’m terrified.”
I smile and give her a peck on the lips. “They will love you.”
“Let’s hope.” She turns to the window, her leg bouncing.
She’s been distracted since she found out about her father last week. She hasn’t visited him. How must shefeel about meeting my family while hers is falling apart?
How would she feel about my betrayal if she found out?
I was going to tell her.
I really was. In the car, before she confessed about her douchebag ex-fiancé.
I think I’m going to doubt everything for a moment before I trust again.
And then the night I got Pavel a bike. But she dropped the bomb about her father, and I wanted her to feel better, not worse.
She was so vulnerable, I could hardly have challenged the fragile trust she’s awarded me with.
