My man.
That has a nice ring to it, and inside I’m turning cartwheels. Ignoring my inner giddiness, I concentrate on Alesso. “How do you feel about it?”
“I’m not sure.” He scrubs a hand over the stylish layer of stubble on his jawline. “At first, I was in denial, and I purposely didn’t think about it until I was forced to. When Ben spoke to me after we returned from our weekend in the city, he told me he’d confirmed it, and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it ever since.”
Hang on here a second. “Wait. Are you saying you knew this as far back as April?”
His brow creases. “Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”
Hurt expands across my chest. “You kept it from me. Why?”
His Adam’s apple jumps in his throat. “We weren’t exactly on speaking terms, and you have enough on your plate. You don’t need to be worrying about me.”
“Nope.” I vigorously shake my head. “That’s not the way this works.” I point between us. “That’s not the way friends treat other friends, let alone…partners.”
“We weren’t a couple then,” he protests.
“But we are now, right?” I need clarification so I can make my point.
His face lights up, and he leans in, kissing me softly and quickly. “Yes. We most definitely are now.”
“Then you can’t keep stuff from me, and I can’t keep stuff from you. We are doomed to fail from the outset if we start off like this.”
A solemn expression appears on his face. “This is all new to me, Serena. I’m used to fending for myself. You had enough concerns. I didn’t want to be a burden.”
“I understand your motives were pure, Alesso, but they were misguided. You could never be a burden. Never.” I thread my fingers in his. “I want to be there for you like you’ve been there for me. Lean on me when you need to, and I’ll lean on you when I need your support. I’m not fragile. I have survived enough crap to know I won’t fall apart if you are upset and you need to unload. We need to be equal partners. It’s as simple as that.”
“Okay.” He nods slowly. “You’re right, and for the record, I didn’t purposely shut you out.”
“I know that. But I need you to promise me that you won’t keep stuff from me again. You talk to me. About everything and anything. You let me shoulder some of your stress. Trust me, I can handle it.”
“I promise.” He reels me into his arms, uncaring there are people watching. “I can’t promise I won’t fuck up occasionally, because I’m used to hoarding things inside, but I will never deliberately keep anything from you. I swear it.”
* * *
“Thank you for dinner,” he says, opening the door for me. “Though I really think I should have paid.”
We almost came to blows over the check, but I stood my ground. I pull up the collar on my coat as a blast of wind slaps me in the face and tosses my hair around. “I asked you on a date, and I wanted to pay. I’m all about equality though. How about next time you organize our date and I’ll let you pay?”
He snakes his arm around my shoulders, tugging me in close as we walk around the side of the building toward the parking lot. “Sounds like a plan.” He pecks my lips. “And I’ll let it slide this time. You’re lucky I’m confident in my masculinity. A lot of guys might feel emasculated having their woman pay for dinner,” he teases.
I’m too hung up on the woman sentiment to reply, but I probably should as that’s such a crock of shit. Instead, I just grin at him like a lovesick fool.
Without warning, he moves me over to the wall, caging me in when my spine hits the brick. “You have no idea what that smile does to me. Butterflies are going crazy in my chest.”
“I didn’t realize men got butterflies.” This is the second time he’s admitted that.
“Don’t see why not. I know I can’t be the only one, but I suspect I’m probably the first made man to admit it.” His amused smile turns heated as he brushes his thumb along my lower lip. “All night I’ve been staring at these lips remembering how incredible they feel moving against mine.” Arching his face in closer, he kisses the corner of my mouth. “I can’t wait a second longer to taste you,” he says before claiming my lips in a searing-hot kiss that warms all the chilly parts of me.
I forget our surroundings and my bodyguards sitting in the car, enjoying the show, no doubt. All I am conscious of in this moment is the feel of his warm body pressed against mine, shielding me from the cold, and the pleasure his mouth is extending to mine. Alesso holds my face in his hands, like it’s the most precious thing, as his lips glide skillfully against mine. His tongue slips out, tracing the seam of my lips, and I willingly open for him. We moan at the same time when our tongues caress, and I angle my head so he can deepen the kiss. My hands roam his back through his coat, and I’m burning with lust for this man.
No one else has the ability to render me into a pile of goo like Alesso, and all this from kissing.
He abruptly ends our kiss, and we’re both panting. His arms band around me, and he pulls me in close to his chest. “I never want to stop feeling this, Rena. This is everything.”
Tilting my head up, I stare into his loving eyes. “It’s everything to me too.”
He sweeps hair back off my face. “I don’t want us to hide. I want people to know you are mine.”
