“Can I kiss you?” I murmur, barely above a whisper.
She nods.
Feeling more alive than I ever have, I finally close the distance.
38
seven minutes
HAYDEN
I kissher slowly and gently, tasting her tears as I thread my fingers through her hair.
She clutches my shirt, pulling me closer. The caramel scent I can’t get enough of slides under my skin, intoxicating me.
“Jesus. Kissing you is even better than I remember.” I kiss a path down her neck. “If only you knew how obsessed I am.”
“I can guess,” she whispers, arching into me. “The clinginess was a dead giveaway.”
I gently tug on her hair, tipping her head back. “Obsessed isn’t the same as clingy. I’m obsessed with everything about you. With how you walk, how you talk, how you laugh—too loud sometimes, but you don’t care.”
She swats my chest, giggling.
“But most of all,” I say, sobering, “I’m obsessed with how strong you are. With how you love, fierce and unapologetic.” I duck my head and catch her eye. “It took me a while to get to where you are, but don’t mistake that to mean I love you less. Because the way I love you is written in the fucking stars. It’s destiny, and whether you like it or not, you’re mine forever.”
She bites her bottom lip, a mischievous glint in her gaze. “I don’t remember saying I want to be with you.”
Fire ignites in my chest, consuming me in a matter of seconds. “The way you kissed me told me everything I needed to know. You’re mine. Admit it.” I pull her closer to me, our breaths mingling. “Admit it.”
“I’m yours.” She presses her palm to my cheek. “And I love you.”
“Exactly what I wanted to hear.” I smash my lips to hers once again. We don’t come up for air until my head is spinning. Even then, I can’t go far. I lower my forehead to hers and exhale. “I have one more surprise for you.”
She snorts. “You’re spoiling me.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.” I step back and take her hand. “Though this time, the surprise is at the penthouse. If you don’t want to go, that’s absolutely okay. I can take you home. But to be clear, sex is not my goal here. I simply want to make you happy.”
“Hmm…” She taps her lips with her index finger. “So youdon’twant me?”
The laugh that erupts from me is loud and thundering. I tug her toward the exit, shaking my head. “Trust me, Ry baby—if I fucked you the way I want you, you would’ve thought I don’t respect you. And I’m trying my damnedest to honor you.”
“Good to know.”
“Where’s my surprise?”Riley asks the moment we step out of the elevator.
“Have patience.” As I lead her down the hallway, my hand cradling hers, I’m calm on the outside. On the inside, though, I’m dying to see her reaction.
Fuck, I hope she likes it.
“After you left, when I realized I couldn’t imagine my life without you, I did some work. I wanted to give you a space of your own.” I put my hand on the doorknob of the room that used to hold awards and memorabilia.
Heart in my throat, I push the door open and step aside. Ratherthan go in, she waits at the threshold, so I flip the light switch, illuminating the space. The gasp that leaves her mouth sends my heart galloping.
When she finally does move, her steps are slow, careful. Hands pressed to her cheeks, she takes it all in. Then, she heads to the barre and drags her hand along it. She pauses in front of the mirror wall, rolls her shoulders back, and turns in an elegant pirouette. In her white dress with her baby bump, she’s a goddess. My own Persephone, lover of flowers and nature.
With her hand on the barre, her eyes find me in the mirror.
“You did this…for me?” she asks, voice quiet.
