I shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. “Enough about me.” I put my hand on her leg and relished the grin she gave from the contact. “I’ve been a terrible host. Can I get you something to drink?”
“I would love some water.”
I led her to the kitchen, and she took a seat at the island. We’d definitely be utilizing it later. I handed her a bottle of water, and we both sat there, silently hydrating ourselves.
“Are you hungry? I think Charlotte put some leftovers in the fridge.”
She blinked at me. I wasn’t sure what I had said?—
“Oh… Charlotte is my chef. Not my… I’m not… Blair, I’m not with anyone else.”
I blushed, so embarrassed at my rambling, but I needed her to know. She was the only woman I wanted.
She nodded slowly before letting out a breath. “That’s good, and no, I’m fine, thank you. I… for the record, I’m not either. And of course you have a chef. Do you have a butler too?” She chuckled and shook her head, and I was glad forthe mood shift. This night had been perfect, and I wanted to keep it that way.
I laughed. “No, but I have a housekeeper, Stella. She only comes twice a week. None of the staff live here if that’s what you're worried about. It’s just us.”
She blushed, and I loved the sight. “I wasn’t worried, but that’s good to know. I just can’t believe I didn’t know any of this about you. You live in a mansion, and you have ‘staff.’ I feel like we’re so different. I… I feel like I don’t know where I fit into your world here.” She gestured around the large space, and I frowned at the worry on her face.
I set the glasses down and walked over to where she sat so perfectly perched on my barstool. I took her face in my hands and looked into her stunning hazel eyes.
“Blair Sterling,” I started before I leaned in and captured her mouth in a sweet and gentle kiss. Like so many of our kisses before tonight, I treasured every swipe of our tongues as if they were the last. Every second we were connected was a second I wanted to last forever. I was reverently hers with every passing moment in time.
Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and smiled at her rapid breathing and flushed face. “You fit in everywhere. Please know that. If there was a part of my life you felt like you didn’t fit into, I would simply change it.”
She pulled me in for another kiss, and I instinctively placed my hands on her thighs, desperate to get those tights off. She pulled back and chuckled at my pouting expression. I wasn’t ready to let her go.
Still, she hopped off the stool and handed me a glass of water while holding on to the other as she led us back to the living room.
I watched her make herself comfortable on my couch once again, and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing her in my home. “So, what’s your story? I mean… I know about your parents, but what about after that? Where did you go?”
The smile quickly fell from her face and she shifted, sitting up a little straighter on the couch. “Well, my grandmother, Amelia, took me and my brother in. He was fourteen at the time. He was with her at the time of the accident, so thankfully he wasn’t hurt. She raised us until we left for college. She was amazing. We spent every Sunday baking in the kitchen. Christopher and I always put on little plays for her, and she never once rolled her eyes or seemed annoyed.”
Her eyes started to fill with unshed tears, and I wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but she kept going.
“She was so supportive when I told her I wanted to be a writer. I was nineteen, and she had all the faith in the world in me. She bought at least three copies of every book I released for the first three years of my career before… before she passed.”
Her eyes had released the pools of water they held, and I leaned over to wipe some of them away. I hated seeing her like this. I would’ve given anything if it meant she was never sad again. God, I had it so bad for her.
“I’m sorry, darling. She sounded wonderful. I’m sure she knows what an amazing job she did raising a perfect woman.”
She huffed out a sobbed laugh. “I don’t know about perfect, but she was pretty wonderful.”
I reached for her, grabbing her chin and tilting her gaze up to meet my soft eyes. I needed her to hear every word I was about to say and really believe them.
“I need you to listen very carefully to me, Ms. Sterling,” I said, using my other hand to caress her side. “You are as close to perfect as a person can get, do you understand?”
She blushed and looked away, but I knew she didn’t believe me. I would just have to take matters into my own hands and show her just how I felt about her.
Without another word, I grabbed her chin again and turned her head toward me. I needed her to look into my eyes and believe my truth. I stared into her eyes for a few seconds, hoping to convey everything I was too afraid to say.
Finally, I had enough of torturing myself, and I leaned in to kiss her. Feeling her lips on mine, her hands on my thighs, felt otherworldly. I needed so much more in that moment. I needed everything.
My hands left her face as I grew more desperate to explore the rest of her. Both of us were wearing too many clothes, and I was going to fix that very soon.
Blair broke the kiss as my hands started roaming underneath her shirt. “Dre,” she whispered while licking her lips.
“Yes, darling?” I loved calling her that, and I loved the response it got. My voice was a similar decibel as hers, as I was still trying to catch my breath. I tried to show that nothing affected me and I had a tough outer shell, but for Blair Sterling, I was a total mess.
