But I stopped thinking and resumed feeling.
And as I did, I felt certain that those details would ultimately be resolved. We would find a way to make this work. I felt so comforted, so certain that this man—the full man, the one that encompassed both Adrian Vale and the King of Diamonds—would be mine and do anything for me.
This, I smiled profoundly at, was what I’d always wanted but never had.
A partnership built on genuine trust and respect, not of trying to change the other person, not of trying to get them to discard their darkest side, but of embracing every fiber of their being.
“Adrian,” I whispered. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his accelerating heartbeat. I smiled, half-asleep, and made sure my next words were spoken loud enough to be heard. “I love you.”
His heart jumped. Adrian drew in a breath, rested a hand in my hair, and gently scratched.
“Delilah,” he said, his voice equally breathless, his body equally rested and exhausted at the same time. “I love you.”
CHAPTER 31
Adrian
Imeant every word I said, and when I woke up the next morning at the crack of dawn, no part of me regretted a single word. I remembered it all, both the feelings and the spoken words, and knew I would forever remember this night.
But.
I recognized that paranoia was an absolute bitch to get rid of, and even after a night like this, at some point, Delilah would wonder if what had happened was real. I knew that discarding the desire for control, for artificial heat, for domination had left me feeling completely fulfilled. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
But I needed to go beyond last night to show Delilah that.
As intimate and deeply connected as last night’s sex had been, it might still be seen through the lens of a power play, of an incredibly well thought out “game” to have her. Delilah might feel the same thing I was feeling, and she might never get over that doubt.
But what if she did? What if, sometime this afternoon, later this month, six months from now, she began to doubt what had happened?
I needed to do something that showed her I was serious about forever. I couldn’t do it today; I hadn’t come here thinking I’d get here this quickly.
But as Delilah slowly stirred from the bed, as she slowly opened her eyes and stretched out her beautiful naked body, I began thinking once more.
Thinking of the perfect way to show her I didn’t just mean last night, I didn’t just mean tonight, I didn’t just mean the next several nights.
I meant forever.
A week passed in which I flew Delilah down for a couple of afternoons. She never seemed suspicious or unsettled as we hung out; by now, I knew her well enough to know when doubts clouded her mind or fears unsettled her. But I myself couldn’t help it, which was a strange reversal of roles.
I knew what I wanted to do, but nothing seemed grand enough for my Queen of Diamonds. The penthouse? Too many memories of control and domination that would have shrouded the occasion. Her office? Absolutely not. Other places known for romantic feelings in Vegas? Yes, maybe, but they were either public or too artificial.
I looked around Reno a few times, contemplating whether that would be the perfect spot, but quite frankly, I didn’t know Reno well enough. It would have meant something to Delilah but nothing to me, and that was an automatic no-go. Plus, given all the bubbling crime and corruption going on in Reno, I didn’t particularly care for the most loving moment of our lives to suddenly turn into a hostage situation—or worse.
As a result, trying to figure out this damn thing felt like banging my head against a wall that provided no answers. In a couple of moments, I literally pressed my head against a wall in frustration, trying to figure things out, but it wasn’t like that did any good. Walls were made to present art, not to?—
Wait.
That was it.
That was fucking it!
Where it all began, where I first laid eyes on Delilah Reyes, where I first set out to control a journalist and wound up feeling shared love for a woman.
It was a Friday evening inAllure, about thirty minutes before the opening of another gala. My brothers and I were hanging out in a private VIP room; Sarah was there, and Delilah was set to arrive in about two minutes. All the people in the room knew Delilah was on the way, but I was the only one who knew what was about to transpire tonight.
The one thing I promised myself was that I would not rush things, no matter what happened. Granted, that would be far easier said than done; as soon as Delilah walked through the door, I knew I’d want to kiss her, to hold her, to press her against the wall… but I had to rein those in. I’d have plenty of time tonight for some of the best lovemaking of our lives.
“So we’re clear,” Cassius said, “we’re expecting to raise six figures in revenue tonight. I want that to be the front-page story in theTimestomorrow. If we’re done playing these violent games with the Morrils, then I intend to make sure we still win in other ways.”
