She didn’t check his phone, so he took that as a sign that she trusted him.
Or she doesn’t care.
He held her gaze. The longer he peered into her eyes, the more he knew her truth.
She cares. She cares a lot. That’s why she’s questioning me, questioning us.
“I’m all in with you,” he said. “One-hundred percent. I meant it when I said you hold all the power. If anyone knows how much I like control, it’s you.” He kissed her cheek. She didn’t push him away, so he dropped a soft kiss on her lips.
She kissed him back, once. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“The longer we’re together, the more we’ll learn about each other. I hope that never stops. I never want us to end.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her kiss was filled with an intensity that rocked him to his core. But it was the love in her eyes that anchored him to her.
“I’m so in love with you, it hurts,” he murmured.
Rather than assume she’d stay with him, he escorted her back to the guest room. At the door, he said, “Whenever you’re ready, I’m right here.”
She peered up at him, the energy swirling around them. The desire to kiss her, to carry her to his bed and love her all night long had him biting back a growl. Resisting her was hard as hell, but having her in his home was much more than comfort for his grandmother and a sex partner for himself.
It was the beginning of their life together… and it meant everything to him.
One more tender kiss before he opened her bedroom door.
“Good night, baby.”
Walking away from her was difficult, but he wanted her to come to him when she was ready. And not one minute sooner.
HE WOKEEARLY to go for a run before heading to the office. He found Slash in the kitchen, getting ready for a run herself.
She kissed him good morning.
He shot her a smile, kissed her back. “Sleep okay?”
“No,” she replied. “Run with me.”
“Love to.”
They started out slowly, their pace increasing as they warmed up. At the two-mile mark, she said, “It’s crazy because I’m fearless at work, and I live for the missions. But with you, I’m terrified.”
“I get that,” he said.
“I thought about what you said. If I don’t put my whole heart into us, I’ll never know. I don’t like being vulnerable, you know that, but I can be a realist and still love you. I’m not going to compare us to anyone else. I’m going to trust you at your word,but more than that, I’m going to see what happens if I love you with my whole soul.”
He pulled her to a stop, wrapped his sweaty arms around her, and kissed her. Already breathing hard, they were gasping for air when the kiss ended.
As if that kiss hadn’t just happened, she started running again. In a few easy strides, he caught up.
“I have a favor,” she said.
“Name it.”
“My friend Jilly is at risk, especially if Greg is stalking her. She’s about to graduate from college with a marketing degree. Would you be willing to interview her? I’m not sure she’d even want to work for your company, but I’d love to give her that opportunity.”
“Sure,” he replied. “If she’s interested, she can send me her resume. If I think she’s a good fit, I’ll ask Gracie to speak with her.”
