"Tonight," he said quietly. "The gala. We still have to face everyone."
I nodded. "I know."
"Together," he said.
"Together," I agreed, my voice barely a whisper. "For real this time."
He pulled back enough to really look at me. And what I saw in his eyes made my breath catch.
"I want you to understand something," he said, his voice rough. "I'm all in. This isn't casual for me. This isn't a weekend fling. When I offer you something, I mean it."
"I know." My hands fisted in his shirt. "I know that now."
He kissed me then. Tender at first, then deeper, his hands framing my face like I was precious. Something he'd chosen. Something he wanted to keep.
When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
"I need you," I whispered. "Right now. No lies. No walls. Just us."
His eyes darkened. "You sure?"
"Completely."
But instead of moving immediately, he pulled me closer, just holding me. His hand stroked down my back, the other cradling my head against his chest. I could hear his heart pounding.
"I was terrified this morning when I found your note," he murmured. "Thought maybe you'd left for good. Thought I'd pushed too hard, offered too much, scared you off."
"I'm sorry." I pressed my face into his neck. "I should have woken you. Should have told you where I was going."
"You're here now. That's what matters."
We stood like that for long moments, just breathing together. The grief and fear slowly giving way to something warmer. Comfort shifting to awareness. His hands on my back becoming less soothing and more possessive.
When I tilted my head back to look at him, his eyes had gone dark with want.
"This is me," I said. "Completely here with you. No more walls."
Heat flared in his eyes. "Show me."
He lifted me in one smooth motion. I wrapped my legs around his waist, arms around his neck, and he carried me down the hall to his bedroom—not the guest room. His.
The meaning wasn't lost on either of us.
He laid me on his bed, following me down, his weight pressing me into the mattress. This kiss was different—deeper, more demanding. Both of us fully present with nothing hidden between us.
"I've wanted you here," he murmured against my throat, his mouth hot on my skin. "In my bed. Really here with me."
"I'm here." I pulled his shirt over his head, needing skin. "I'm yours."
We shed clothes between kisses, urgent now. When he settled between my thighs, naked and hard against me, we both paused. Locked eyes.
"No more pretending," he said.
"No more pretending," I agreed.
He pushed inside slowly, and we both groaned. The angle was perfect, the fullness overwhelming. I wrapped my legs high around his waist, ankles locking behind his back, and the angle made him curse under his breath.
"God, Ruby—you feel—"
