“Come on my cock, baby,” he pants against my ear. “Want to feel this pussy flutter. You’re safe, you’re mine—come for me, Min. Let me have it.”
When I shatter again, he follows seconds later, burying himself deep and groaning my name. It’s quiet and grounding and mine, leaving me melty and shaky and profoundly, startlingly calm.
Afterward, he gathers me close, wraps me in his arms like that’s exactly where I belong. Without thinking, he hooks my cold feet between his calves. An instinctive act of care. I let him. He presses a kiss into my hair and stays there, solid and warm.
“Still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Tristan traces idle patterns over my breasts, my narrow waist, the curve of my hip. “Every inch of you. Exactly like this. Don’t ever hide from me again, okay? I’m obsessed.”
I lie against his chest, listening to his heart slow, realizing something new and terrifying and hopeful all at once.
This wasn’t something taken from me.
It was something I chose.
And for the first time, that feels like enough.
Chapter Ten
Tristan
My leg jiggles as I squirm around in my seat. All I can think about is getting home to see Minerva. I have no idea what she’s doing right now, but I can think of everything she might be up to. Eating a late lunch? Playing with Kepler? Lying on the couch in some unnaturally contorted position while reading a book? Sprawling on the floor with all her notes and papers and books and scheming to unlock the secrets of the human body?
This is so odd. On the rare occasion when I’ve been involved with someone for any length of time, it’s all come back to physical desire. This is a big, fat crush. I’m in like with Min.
Now, home isn’t a place anymore. It’s her voice saying my name.
My daydreams are cut short when Viktor punches my thigh. “Knock it off. If I wanted my seat to rock this hard, I’d have convinced Sergio to put massage chairs on the plane.”
“Like you could convince him to pay out.”
“Dante would never go for it, but Sergio?” Viktor waves a hand. “He’s a pushover.”
Two rows away, Sergio clears his throat. “You know I canhearyou, right?”
“Tell me I’m lying,” Viktor calls back.
Muffled muttering follows, but Sergio does not seem to have a convincing retort.
I stare out the window in the hopes that Viktor will lose interest. Before long, my mind wanders back to thoughts of Minerva.
Viktor punches my thigh again. “For real, what is yourproblem?You keep glancing at your watch. Your eyes glaze over for a few minutes…” He sucks in a breath. “Wait. Oh my God! You’re sleeping with your assistant!”
I punchhisthigh for good measure. “Shut up, Viktor. Seriously.”
Viktor lets out a sound like a leaky faucet. “It’s true! I can see it in your eyes!” He rises to his feet, both arms outstretched. “Team. And notable staff. Not you, Serg.”
This time, Sergio’s head pops up over the backs of the seats. He glares at Viktor. “It’sSergio. And shouldn’t you be sitting?”
Viktor points to the strip of lights above our row. “The seatbelt sign is clearly off. This isexactlywhy I didn’t invite you to the meeting.”
“It’smyjet!”
“Pipe down, Serg. I have an announcement to make.”
I grab his arm and hiss through gritted teeth, “Iwillkill you. And my family has pigs, so you know I’m not joking.”
Viktor tuts at me. “A little hostile for a guy who’s getting laid.” He turns back to the rest of the team, all of whom are peering across the rows at him. “That’s right. He’s sleeping with his assistant! Renee, I’d like to make sure everyone gets an assistant. Starting with me.”
Knight snorts. “Knova would kill you. Actually, on second thought, Renee, get that man an assistant.”
