“That was the best head ever.” He pulls me up, settling me back astride his legs, my skirt hiked up.
“You don’t have to lie to me, but I enjoyed it.”
“I can see that.” He smirks, eyeing the wet patch on my panties. “And I’m not lying. Everything is better, bolder, and new when love is a part of the equation.”
I kiss him, playing with the hair on his neck.
“Thank you for the Danish.”
“Had I known you’d suck my cock for that, I would have gotten one sooner.” He winks.
I laugh. “You did get me a few before.”
We stare at each other, grinning, like this is the only place to be. Like the life outside of this bubble doesn’t exist.
I give him a peck. “Before we continue with the evening program, would you care to tell me about C.O.R.A.?”
He raises his eyebrows. “What is the evening program?”
“It will be unpacking if you don’t start talking.”
“It seems like you already know.” He shrugs.
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
He trails my chin with his finger, the touch light and reverent. “I don’t know; it felt like bragging.”
I snort. “It’s called sharing, you idiot.”
He grabs the back of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. It’s deep and passionate. “I’ll get better at sharing, I promise.”
And I know he will.
“I love you, Xander Stone. Unconditionally.”
He cups my face in both his hands, not kissing me, just holding me. “No one has ever chosen me without conditions.”
“No one has ever believed in me the way you do.”
“I guess we’re meant to be together.”
“I guess it’s always been inevitable.” I kiss him gently. “Besides, you named a charity after me,” I tease.
“What can I say, Coraline—I used to think profit was the only metric worth chasing. Then you handed me a cereal box and rewired my brain.”
We grin at each other, before he scoops me up and carries me to the bedroom where we enjoy each other, foolishly believing we’ve found our forever.
Chapter 29
Cora
“Do you think we can expand that fast?” I look at the projections.
“I think we need to up our fundraising efforts to make sure we’re not dependent on your family’s donations only, but I think we can,” Britney, C.O.R.A.’s managing director, explains.
“Okay, let’s do it. Let’s schedule a brainstorming session about potential ways to find additional funding sources. Let’s invite some close-to-us teachers and parents, and I’ll talk to Xander to get a few business people in. Different minds, different ideas.”
After I found out about C.O.R.A., I got involved immediately. That was a month ago, and things are getting busier every day because we’re adding new schools to the program. I love it.
