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“Ford—”
“Do you remember when Eve was sick and I wanted to come home from Vegas? But you wouldn’t let me. You wanted me to trust you. And I did. I put all my faith in you.” I rubbed my thumb across her lips. “That’s what you’re going to have to do now, Sydney. Trust me. Believe me when I say, I’m not going to hurt you again.”
She was silent.
Staring at me.
I swore I could see her brain processing these revelations.
But I had no idea what she was thinking.
What she was going to decide.
If this time … she would choose me.
And then, suddenly, “Why now? Why, after all these weeks since we’ve been in this kitchen together, do you want things to change between us? Why is now … different?”
This wasn’t a multiple choice. There was no easy answer.
My feelings couldn’t fit into a box that needed to be checked off.
I lifted her onto the counter, and the moment she was settled, my hands went to her thighs, and our eyes locked. “You’re looking to hear about the moment when it all hit me. This defining second when I snapped my fingers and thought, Sydney is the woman I want to be with.”
I rubbed my hands over her legs, searching for the right words.
“That didn’t happen. Because, honestly, I’ve always known you were right for me. I felt that in the bar the night I met you, when I couldn’t stay the hell away from you. I knew it again the next morning when I saw you with Everly. And again when we went to dinner and I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Each day that followed, especially when you became Everly’s nanny, those feelings built.”
I glanced down at the disappointment that hit my chest. “Did I fuck up? Yes. Did it take me too long to confess this to you? Yes.” I fixed my eyes to hers again. “Will I make more mistakes in the future? I can promise you, yes.”
I reached for her cheek, holding it, caressing it. “But when I was out at the bar tonight and the guys were giving me a boatload of shit for not being with you, they were putting the fear of God into me that I’d waited too long, and I knew they were right. You were going to find someone else, and that would be my fault. I pushed you away, and I’d deserve that. But”—I held her so steady, getting lost in those icy-blue eyes—“I’m not going to let that happen. You are going to be mine.”
I leaned across the space and kissed her forehead. “I made you choose, and you picked right. I never should have given you that ultimatum. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Sydney. But you don’t have to choose now. You can have both of us … if that’s what you want.”
There was so much emotion in her eyes. Not the kind that dripped, but the kind that stirred, that swirled. And she stayed silent while she gazed at me.
“Ford …” Her head dropped, her chest rising and falling so fast.
My breathing matched as I waited.
Every tick, every fucking beat excruciating.
When she finally glanced up again, there was a new kind of emotion in her stare.
One I was positive I recognized.
Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, her hands diving into my hair. “I would pick her over and over again. Everly means everything to me.” She took a breath. “But I want you both, and the truth is, I always have.”
I couldn’t wait.
My lips slammed against hers, and I held our faces together.
My tongue couldn’t wait either, slowly sliding into her mouth, tasting her.
That flavor.
That heat.
It wasn’t enough.
I needed more.
I reached behind her back, lowering the zipper until it hit the counter and I couldn’t go any farther. The space was enough to slip off the tiny straps from her arms. I tugged the material down her torso and thighs until it was well past her knees and on the floor. Her bra came off next, followed by her panties.
Her shoes fell.
She was finally naked.
The way I’d been dreaming about.
I glanced down her body, sighing as I took in this gorgeous sight. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this?” I didn’t rush as I gazed back up. “How long I’ve waited?”
“Ford …” Her voice was as soft as her skin.
But I didn’t wait for a complete answer.
I just bent my knees and dived my face in between her legs, licking across her clit, my nose pressed against the top of her so I could breathe her in. “Fuck … that scent, that taste. It’s so fucking good.”
“Ford!” She shivered, and I caught her. “Oh my God!”
I wanted to savor her.
But I didn’t have the patience to take my time tonight.
I needed her wetness covering my face.
Her screams filling my ears.
