“You have your whole life to savor me.”
“That I do.”
She sits atop the desk, legs hanging over on this side of it, then she leans back, resting her weight on her palms.
She makes me wait a beat, as she often does, and sometimes I can’t tell if she’s punishing me or seeking punishment herself. Either way, we both always end up winning.
Slowly, she spreads her legs wide for me, and I run my hand over the back of my neck.
“Perfection. Absolute perfection.” Reaching for the small velvet box, I pull it from my jeans’ pocket and set it down on the desk, then begin to unsnap my button-fly. I’d planned on asking her at the draft party, but something about this moment feels intimate, more us than a crowded room full of strangers.
This, us, alone in her office like this… just this beautiful, naked woman and the man who is nowhere near worthy of her but cannot breathe without her…
This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.
“Max,” she whispers.
“Hm?” I slide my jeans over my hips, then let them drop to the floor.
“Max,” she says again, her voice soft with disbelief.
I lean forward, placing my hands on either side of her hips. “Yes, darlin’?”
Her eyes are frantic as they search mine, then flick to that little velvet box.
“What?” Looking over at it, I pick it up, then play with it between my fingers. “Oh, this old thing?”
Sutton’s lips twitch, but she rolls them together to keep from smiling.
I place my hand against her chest, then slide it upwards, smiling when she shivers from my touch. Cupping her chin, I look into her eyes.
Honeyed-amber, with flecks of gold and darker brown throughout.
“I love your eyes. Have I ever told you that?”
“Max,” she whines, gaze flicking in the direction of that box.
“I love the freckles across your nose.” I place a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I love the way your lips twitch when you’re trying to hold back a grin.” I kiss the corner of her mouth. “I love the way your breath hitches when I touch right… here…” I brush my nose against the soft spot beneath her ear.
“I love the way you challenge me every damn chance you get.”
“Someone has to.”
“I’m so fucking glad it’s you.” I swallow hard, then continue, “I love that you’d rather have stadium food than a five-star meal. I love that Nina calls you more than she calls any of us now. I love how you sing in the shower.”
She laughs again—because we both know she’s not great at that.
“I love that you snore, and sometimes even talk in your sleep. I love that you chase what you want, even if it’s difficult.” I place a kiss on her forehead, then another on her left temple, then her right. “I love that you laugh when people tell stories about their dead cats—”
She barks out a laugh, trying to shake her head, but I keep her still.Eyes on me.
“I love that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you always check in with your best friend.”
She smiles, and I catch the way her eyes have started to glisten with unshed tears.
“I love how you look in the morning, baby, but even more so how you look at me.”Fuck. I have to clear my throat to continue. “I love the way you love yourself, Sutton Hart, but the way you love others is fucking incredible.” My voice cracks so I lick my lips, then lean in and kiss her, gently, tenderly, distracting her while I try to get my emotions under check.
“Most of all, I think I love the way you love me.” I rest my forehead against hers, seeking strength in her steady breaths. “You make me feel like the luckiest man alive.”
