I chuckled low, letting my forehead rest against hers. “You talk to your sister today?”
Her smile faded just a little. “Briefly. She’s still not doing good. Mom’s staying a while longer to be there for her and help her with KJ.”
I nodded. “You don’t have to go to the reopening tonight. You can go be with her if you want.”
She shook her head firmly. “No. I’m going to go. I want to support you. I need to be there for you.”
Gratitude washed over me. “I appreciate that.”
She leaned against me, her arms slipping around my neck. “But we do need to talk about something,” she said softly, eyes serious. “About you not telling me sooner about your conversation with Enzo.”
I exhaled, leaning back to look at her. “Yeah…I know. That was my bad, for sure.”
She nodded, running her hand down the back of my head. “Yeah, it was. But I’m not going to hold it against you forever. I just don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I want us to do this thing right.”
I smiled, brushing my thumb across her cheek. “Fair. I promise not to make the same mistake twice.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled faintly. “Good. Thank you.”
I pulled her into a hug, arms tightening around her as if I could shield her from every bad thing in the world. She melted into me, lips finding mine in a soft, lingering kiss that spoke more than words ever could.
“You’re good to me,” she whispered against my mouth.
“Always.”
We stood there for a while, holding onto each other. I could feel her warmth, smell her scent, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was exactly where I wanted to be.
Eventually, I pulled back just enough to look at her, my hands still on her hips. “You sure you’re ready to go tonight? I don’t want you stressed.”
She grinned, tugging me down for another kiss. “I’m ready. I got you, and you got me.”
I laughed low, feeling a surge of pride and affection. “Damn right. Alright then…donuts first?”
“Of course,” she said, grabbing another one and handing me one. I bit into it, savoring the sugar and chocolate, but really savoring her beside me, the laughter we shared, the comfort of it all.
We spent a few minutes just like that, enjoying donuts and soaking up the quiet peace before the night. Then she leaned back against the island, stretching, eyes sparkling mischievously.
“Plaid pajamas next time,” she teased, and I groaned, shaking my head with a laugh. “Don’t even start with that.”
“You secretly liked it.” She smirked.
“Nah…” I replied, rolling my eyes but smiling.
Her smile softened, and she leaned up to kiss me again, this one slower, more tender. “I love you, Ocean,” she whispered.
I wrapped her in my arms again, holding her like I meant it. “I love you too, baby.”
43
SKYE
The bass from the club shook the walls of Ocean’s office. I could hear it echoing and I could feel it in my chest. It was chaos out there. People, lights, music, the smell of drinks and perfume. But in his office, it was just us.
Ocean leaned back in his chair, tugging at the cuff of his sleeve. He looked like he owned the world, but more importantly, like he was mine. I leaned against the corner of the desk, feeling the cool wood beneath my fingertips, taking him in. His dark, dangerous eyes, softened when they landed on me.
“You clean up good,” he said, his voice low and teasing.
I smirked, looking him over. “You like?” I twirled slowly, the black dress hugging all the right places, the thigh-high boots giving me that little extra edge.
