“I need you,” I whisper.
“And we have an eternity to get whatever we want, Willa. Because I’m telling you right now, now that I’ve had you, I’m never fucking letting you go.”
It should scare me.
It should terrify me.
There are so many reasons this shouldn’t work.
So many reasons it can’t work.
I’m his client.
I’m about to start dating someone for PR, a relationship that had a dozen different contracts that are seemingly unbreakable—something he set up.
If this goes bad, it would be so messy.
Even if it goes well, it will be so damn messy.
But for the first time, I don’t think about the what-ifs.
I don’t think about the people I might disappoint.
I don’t think about what might happen in a week or a month or a year, because, just like Leo, I think I’ve known all along that this was always going to happen. And more importantly, this was always meant to work.
It just took a lot fucking longer than we anticipated.
He continues this torture, one inch in then one out, and I beg and plead, but when he bends, pressing his lips to mine and swallowing my moans, I stop complaining. I let him take over.
I let him fill me slowly, and it turns into something completely different in a moment. It turns into something sweet, something I’ve never had before in my life. His thrusts go deeper and longer and harder, and his breathing starts to match mine, going heavy, our groans and moans mingling around us. When he fills me completely, my fingers dig into his shoulders, and hisfingers dig into my hips. When he starts to fuck me in earnest, his head drops to my neck, pressing soft kisses and whispering sweet words, telling me how long he’s wanted this, how he’s never letting me go, how he’s never had anything so precious in his life.
And when I come, he follows right behind.
I’ve had a lot of beauty in my life.
I’ve been given some of the most gorgeous jewelry, dresses, and shoes.
I’ve gone to some of the most beautiful places on earth.
I’ve stood in front of tens of thousands of people, listening to them repeat the words of songs I wrote with nothing but love and joy in their voices.
But I’ve never had anything as beautiful as this moment.
And in that moment, I know I have it all.
TWENTY-TWO
LEO
When I wake the next morning, Willa is curled into my side, and every muscle is relaxed as I take a deep breath, basking in this moment I’ve barely even let myself daydream about.
If I were being rational, I would do the opposite. I would probably be concerned. Actually, I would be full-out panicking. The repercussions of Willa and me being together go far and wide, affecting both our careers if this turns into a worst-case scenario. She’s supposed to start dating someone in less than two months, a relationship I set up, and I’m strictly forbidden from hooking up with clients. My boss is looking for any excuse to get rid of and blacklist me, and if he found out about this, it would play directly into his hands.
But then, Willa murmurs a sleepy, “Morning,” into my neck, and whatever remaining nerves melt away.
Because this.Thisis what I was always meant to have: Willa in my arms, her voice sleepy, her body slack from sleep and from being fucked the night before.
And most importantly, mine.
