Instead, it’s his steady hand on my cheek, guiding me close, that shreds the final string holding me together. It’s the feel of his arm around my back, holding me up, that allows me the chance to crumble, knowing I won’t fall.
And it’s his lips on mine that put me back together again.
40
When I kissAubrey this time, it’s without a sliver of doubt that she’s mine.
Her lips feel like the promise of a future I never dared dream of months ago but now can’t go five minutes without thinking about. She has no idea what she’s just unlocked between us with her words. My obsession has grown ten times the size it was when I woke this morning, and there’s no sign of it stopping. With or without more of her love speeches and damp lashes, she’s going to own me for the rest of time.
I swipe my thumbs over the smeared black makeup beneath her eyes while trying to keep from rubbing the rest of it off with my palms. She looks so fucking beautiful tonight. I’ll never forget the wonder I felt when I opened my door and saw her standing on my porch like an angel sent here for the sole purpose of ruining me.
The dress I found in her closet has transformed into a piece of art now that she’s wearing it. It sparkles on her skin, every inch cupping her curves like it was handcrafted for her. The straps are thin before growing thick at the deep V, highlighting the heavy swells of her breasts and the cleavage that I’m tempted to taste. I don’t know if I should stare at the inward shape of herwaist or the flare of her hips and legs. Or maybe I should just bring my hand up the slit in the thigh, following it all the way to the soft dimple in her upper thigh that I ache to leave a bite mark on.
Her thick curls are trapped in a bun at the back of her head. I want nothing more than to tug each pin free and watch them fall. She’s not wearing lip gloss, and after craving the familiar strawberry taste these last few days, I’ve decided I’m going to buy her an unlimited supply and keep it here so she has no choice but to feed my addiction. That and I want my home full of her. More than it already is.
I want the blouses and the designer shoes. The paperwork that she tries to keep organized but never fully keeps up with. I’ll clear every drawer in my bathroom for her skin care or build her an entirely new one if she needs more space. If she wants a wine cellar, I’ll build that, too.
I’m so incredibly lost in this woman. But I’ll gladly drown if it means that she’s the last thing I’ll ever see, ever feel.
“You have to say something,” she rasps, drawing in a quick breath. “Please.”
“I love you.”
Her gasp is choked, almost disbelieving. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, it’s what you’re getting. It’s the truth. If you want me to speak, then that’s what I’m starting with.” I rest my forehead against hers and tip her chin up, keeping her eyes on mine. “I decided weeks ago that I was going to be your date to this gala, Aubrey. Long before you told me otherwise, and I gave you your space these last few days. The time for you to be going out with other men, even those who I love like family, is long gone. That future ceased to exist the night you came to my house and kissed me. Far before that, maybe.
“I’ve loved you for decades. At first, it wasn’t in the way that it is now, where I’m constantly battling the urge to strip you down and fuck you into the closest available surface, but I think that’s the way it was supposed to be. We’ve had twenty years to grow together. To learn everything there is to know about one another and get familiar with both our flaws and the strengths that remind me every single day that you’re way out of my league. Without that knowledge, I can’t say that we’d be where we are right now. And I’m so fucking ready to step into this new part of our lives together. All you have to do is say that you want this just as badly as I do.”
“And if I say that I want it more?”
My grin burns my cheeks. “I’d call your bluff.”
“Call it, then. Because I love you, too, and I’m done with pretending like I don’t need anyone when being without you hurts so badly.”
My blood pumps hot and thick in my veins. “There isn’t anything that’s going to keep me from having you, Aubrey. Not anymore.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
The only thing left to do is seal it with a kiss. To start with, at least. Because when I bend at the knees and lift her off the ground, the last thing I’m thinking about is stopping there.
Her giggle fills my entryway as she wraps her arms around my neck and lets me carry her inside. I kiss her with the force of a man who’s just gotten everything he’s ever wanted and palm her bare back while kicking the door shut.
I’ll have to be careful not to ruin her before we leave, but as long as I get to keep her in my arms, I have nothing to complain about.
“Aubrey, you look stunning,”Rowena compliments the moment she spots us in the ballroom.
My girl’s mentor doesn’t even spare me a second look as she lifts the hem of her silver dress off the ground and comes our way. Her heavy brown eyes focus on Aubrey and don’t leave, allowing both myself and everyone around us to see just how happy she is to see her tonight. For her early forties, she doesn’t look much older than we do. She wears her age as gracefully as she does her confidence.
“So do you. I love silver on you.”
Releasing my arm, Aubrey slips away just long enough to hand me her empty champagne glass and hug Rowena. The black clutch I’ve been holding in my opposite hand is just as soft as her dress when I stroke a knuckle down the low back. I exchange the empty glass for a full one when a waitress holding a full tray flies by.
We’ve been here no longer than ten minutes, but I’ve already been introduced to a dozen of her colleagues whom I’ve never seen before, from a duo of young paralegals to Graham Clarke, the firm’s third name partner. Somehow, I’ve never met him up until now. Supposedly, he avoids as many of these parties as he can. I don’t blame him.
Still, I’m used to smooth talking people far above my pay grade. Being in love with Aubrey makes it easy to talk her up, though. There’s nothing that I could say that I don’t wholeheartedly agree with.
