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She wraps her arms around me and squeezes tight, drawing a pained grunt and a grimace from me. She quickly steps back, a look of horrified apology on her face. Her eyes shimmer with tears that she’s fighting to keep from falling. She eventually gives up on trying to hold them back. They flow down her face freely despite the smile on her trembling lips. I give her a grin and pull her back to me. Some pain is worth enduring for this woman.
“I love you,” she says, her voice soft and fragile. “I love you with everything in me.”
“And I love you too,” I repeat. “I love you with everything in me.”
We ride the elevator down like that, our bodies wrapped together tightly, enveloped in a cocoon of the purest love I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s a sensation I never want to lose. And a feeling I can’t understand ever being afraid of.
Chapter Forty
Emily
“Tell me again,” I command.
Aaron laughs. “I love you, Emily Hall.”
“Very good,” I tell him. “By my calculations, you only owe me another twelve million ‘I love you’s’ on command.”
“Well, it’s a good thing for you that I don’t plan on not saying it again anytime soon.”
“That’s a good thing. Because if you do refuse, I’ll have to kick your ass. I’m never going to get tired of hearing those three words fall out of your mouth,” I threaten him and laugh.
“After seeing what you did to Robert, I believe you.”
“That’s right,” I flex my bicep, giving him a teasing wink. “You don’t want to mess with me.”
Aaron’s driver opens the rear door and we slide out. He grimaces as he stands, and I feel a twinge of guilt grip my heart. I know he’s hurting because of me. He nearly got himself killed trying to save me. And he did it all because he loves me.
Thankfully, all of our wounds are superficial – except for the one on his arm. Robert’s blade cut him pretty deep. Although it’s not as bad as it could have been, it’s going to take some time for it to heal up. But we were assured that everything is going to be fine. That we’re both going to be okay.
When we’re both standing on the sidewalk, I take Aaron’s hand in mine and smile up at him. He leans down and plants a soft kiss on my forehead.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a nice hot shower and some sleep,” Aaron remarks.
I nod. “That sounds like just what the doctor ordered.”
We walk through the lobby. The man behind the desk greets Aaron with a nod. We step into the elevator and ride it up. With my place still shut down for the police investigation, and Aaron’s place out of commission thanks to Robert, we’re back at his corporate condo. Except this time, the atmosphere isn’t nearly as oppressive or heavy. This time, it doesn’t feel like a prison cell. It’s amazing how three little words can change the entire context of a place.
Aaron closes and locks the front door behind us. I walk through the front room, flipping on lights as we go. Even though the threat is over, and Robert is going to jail for a very long time, I’m still not comfortable with the dark. I have a feeling I won’t be comfortable in the dark for a while yet.
“Do you want the shower first?”
I look over at him and smile. Despite the fact that we’ve declared our love for each other, there is still a little lingering awkwardness between us. The residue of the tension of the past few weeks. I know it’s going to clear up in time, but we’re not there just yet.
“No, you go ahead,” I tell him.
He nods but doesn’t return my smile. I can’t help but wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I am. And whether or not he’s going to do anything about it. He doesn’t, though. Aaron turns and heads off down the hallway, stripping his shirt off as he goes. I feel a mild sting of disappointment, but rein it in. I can be patient. We can both be patient. We have to if we want to get it right this time.
I wander around the front room feeling restless. And it doesn’t take long for me to realize I can’t be patient. I need to feel that connection with Aaron again. I need to feel that bond and human contact. And I think he does too – even if he doesn’t realize it.
Stripping off my shirt, I slink down the hallway toward the back rooms. The bedroom door is open, and I can hear the sound of the shower running. My imagination immediately starts to run wild as I picture his naked body beneath the spray of water.
Quickly slipping out of the rest of my clothes, I walk to the bathroom door. Steam billows out of the large walk-in shower, the heat in the room matching the heat burning inside of me. I step to the shower and lean around the corner, drinking in the sight before me. I watch the way the water rains down on his body, glistening off the hard angles and planes of his body.
I bite my bottom lip as he raises his face into the spray of water and runs his hands through his hair. I swear, this is better than any erotic movie I’ve ever watched. I step into the shower and slide up behind him. I feel him tense as I slip my hands around his waist and caress his body, slick with soap and water.
“I was hoping you’d join me,” he says.
“Then why didn’t you ask me?”
