“You have piqued my curiosity in sex. Now I want it.”
Paxton holds up his hand. “You don’t get the milk without buying the cow.”
“We will be married, and I’ll get my milk too.” The second the words leave my mouth, I realize how dirty they sound.
I gasp when Paxton flips us, pinning me below him. I rather enjoy this position too.
“Don’t tempt me.” He leans down, running his mouth along the column of my neck. “I’ve waited years for this.” I run my hands up and down his sides. I hadn’t thought about him waiting.
“You have really waited all these years?” I probably shouldn’t ask the question. Just leave it alone. He already told my father he’d be faithful to me in marriage.
He lifts his head. “Yes, I am not a man who settles for less. You haven’t seen that yet?” His eyes search my face.
“You believe I can do anything.” I recall the things he said to me in the hotel, about my mother and who I’d bloom into.
“I don’t believe it. I know it. I was enamored with you from the very start. You are a sight to behold. It was clear to me that the Marinos might have a strong hold on their position, but when you reached the top, you’d be unstoppable.” I run my finger down his jaw, loving the feel of his short beard growing in.
“You might have me up on a pedestal.” All the things he is saying are sweet.
“Maybe I do.” He tilts his head to the side. “I have always been an odds man. Weighing every situation for potential outcomes, patterned after the people around me, but you defy them all.”
“How so?” He’s predicted what I would do more than anyone ever has.
“I don’t believe in coincidences or fate, but as the strings of our lives start to pull together, I question my own logic.”
“You think we’re fate?”
“Fated.”
“I can see that,” I agree. “Sure, you could stalk and follow me and whatnot, but I had to fall for you, and it hit me hard and fast. You soothe these insecurities in me. You fill in those missing parts for me. I need you.” If you had asked me a short time ago if I would be telling a man such things, I would have said you were out of your mind or maybe killed you. But here I am, basically professing my love to Paxton. I mean, not in those exact words, but for me it’s a start.
I knew the moment he grabbed hold of me and took that fall. I’m not used to fear. My brothers and cousins have joked over the years that I don’t experience it, but clearly I do.
A smile spreads across his entire face. “That’s what I wanted.” He drops his forehead to mine. “There has been no one else. Not before you or after. I even kept my infatuation with you a secret that only a few knew of. If my father knew of my desire for anything, he’d try to take it from me or use it. It’s why I killed him. So that I could finally have you.”
“You killed your father for me.”
“I killed him for us.” That’s the most romantic gesture I’ve ever heard of. Yeah, we’re definitely fated. Crafted to fit only each other. It may sound crazy and go against logical thoughts, but I don’t care.
“That’s like the sweetest engagement gift. It’s perfect, really.” Paxton throws back his head and laughs, his body shaking mine. I reach up and pull him down for a kiss. I relish the fact that I will be the only woman to ever have him.
That’s best for everyone’s safety. I can be rather irrational when it comes to him. Paxton deepens the kiss as I hear knocking sounds at my door. A small growl leaves me, making him smile and drop a kiss on the tip of my nose.
He flips us back over and even puts me right on my feet beside the bed. His whole body can easily wrap around mine. It should scare me, but it only makes me feel stronger with him at my side.
“Come in,” I call out, and my mom’s head pops in.
“Are you going to hide up here all day?” She steps farther into the room.
“Not hiding,” I say. “Well, I might have been hiding Paxton.”
Mom lets out a small laugh. “Do you trust me with him? Because your father wants to speak to you.” I nod inunderstanding. I was going to go down earlier, but Paxton is rather distracting.
“I would like to speak with my father alone, and then?—”
“Naomi, you don’t have to explain this to me. I’m not here to come between you and your family.”
“I know, but you’ll be mine, and I…” I search for the right words to say. Some of the thoughts I have about him I can’t put into words.
