Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Holy shit. Her filthy confession unleashed something primal inside me, and I started to move again—harder this time, pounding into her with an intensity that bordered on savage. The headboard slammed against the wall in rhythm to my thrusts, but I couldn’t stop. I needed this. I needed her.
She craved my unrestrained passion just as much, her voice taking on a desperate edge as she encouraged me to give her more, more, more!
My stomach muscles tightened as my climax approached, barreling through me like a freight train, and a hoarse groan rumbled up from my chest as I released inside her. Morgan was right there with me. Her legs tightened around my waist, her whole body shaking uncontrollably as she unraveled so beautifully beneath me with a soft cry of pleasure.
We clung to each other through the aftershocks, bodies slick and spent. I couldn’t remember ever feeling more complete, or more content with another person.
Eventually, I forced myself to move and pulled out of her. I cleaned us both with a warm washcloth, pressing gentle kisses to her skin as I wiped away the remnants of chocolate and sex. She watched me through heavy-lidded eyes, a soft, sated smile playing at her lips.
After turning off the lights, I slid into bed beside her and pulled her into my arms. I closed my eyes, and as she let out a long sigh and relaxed against my chest, the truth hit me like the sharp clarity of an unexpected lightning strike, jolting through every part of me.
I loved this woman.
My eyes flew back open at that thought, staring into the darkness of the room as I waited for the panic to surface. The suffocating fear. The overwhelming urge to run that had defined my response to emotional intimacy for years now.
But nothing like that happened. There was no dread. No warning bells. I wasn’t freaking out. This wasn’t like our first night together where flight instinct had ruled my actions.
I felt…peaceful and happy.
I ran a hand down Morgan’s bare back, her skin warm and soft beneath my palm, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. For years, I’d convinced myself that Ivy was the one who got away. That if I’d just made better choices, worked fewer hours, said the right things, we could have had the future I’d envisioned. But lying here with Morgan in my arms, I knew with absolute certainty that I’d been wrong.
Ivy was never mine in the way Morgan was. If I’d ever felt a fraction of this connection with Ivy, I wouldn’t have buried myself in my job. I wouldn’t have chosen meetings and late nights at the office and endless deals over her. And she wouldn’t have been open to the idea of falling in love with someone else if we’d had a strong relationship to begin with. Something worth fighting for, which in hindsight, neither of us had tried to do.
With Morgan, everything was different. The thought of a future without her was unbearable, while the thought of a future with her filled me with a certainty I’d never experienced before. I wasn’t afraid of this love because I knew, bone-deep, that I wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes. I wouldn’t let work consume me. Wouldn’t let distance grow between us. And I would never take her for granted.
I wanted to build a life with her. Wanted to wake up beside her every morning. Learn all her quirks and habits and favorite things. I wanted to be the man she deserved.
And I intended to make that happen. We still had a few more days left at CES, but when we returned to New York things between us needed to change. Hopefully, Simon would have some answers from the forensic accountant and then, I wanted our relationship out in the open. I wanted to take her to dinner in our own city, introduce her to my friends, and sit beside her at family gatherings without worrying who might see. I wanted her woven into every part of my life.
And when I told her I loved her, it wasn’t going to be in bed after sex. I wanted to do it right, in a way that made her feel special and treasured. She deserved our first “I love you” to be a moment she remembered for the rest of her life, and I intended to give her that when the time and place was right.
Morgan shifted in her sleep, burrowing closer, and I tightened my arms around her. My eyes drifted closed, and for the first time in years, falling asleep felt easy. Because I was exactly where I was supposed to be…with the woman I loved curled against my side, and a future full of possibilities stretching out before us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Morgan
The rest of the week in Vegas flew by. While Liam and I spent our days at CES, our evenings belonged entirely to us. He insisted on taking me to the most upscale establishments, including dinner overlooking the Strip at the Eiffel Tower, and surprised me with tickets to a Cirque du Soleil show.