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Chapter Twenty-Eight
BEAU
I blinked my eyes open,taking in the pale purple of the sky outside the bedroom window as the sun slowly began rising over the sand and ocean beyond the glass. It was the kind of view I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of waking up to and a large reason why I had no issue offering full asking price after my assistant showed me the pictures of this place.
I was usually up by now, heading out for my morning run on the beach, but after the best night’s sleep of my life, the last thing I wanted to do was drag my ass out of this bed for an early morning run. I had a much better idea of how to get my heart rate up this morning, and I intended on doing it with the woman who had spent the entire night in my arms.
Speaking of... I reached across the bed for Presley, planning to wake her up with my face between her thighs, but instead of finding her, my hand landed on cold sheets.
“Bubbles?” My voice was rough with sleep as I sat up and looked toward the bathroom, thinking she might be in there, but the door was open and the light was off.
Panic shot through me as I strained my ears, listening for any sounds coming from somewhere else in my house. “Presley.”
There was nothing.
Throwing the covers off, my feet hit the floor and I bolted for the door in nothing but my underwear, not even stopping to throw on some sweats as I booked it out of the room and down the hall. So help me god, if she got freaked and ran again, I was going to track her down, drag her ass back here, and tie her to my goddamn bed until she finally accepted that this was happened.
“Presley!” I shouted, dread dripping from my voice as my heart started beating dangerously fast.
Then I heard it. Her sweet, melodic voice echoing down the hallway. “In the kitchen.”
My entire body sagged with relief as I rounded the corner and spotted Presley in front of my fridge, the door open as she peered inside. Her hair hung down her back in long, golden sheets, the strands slightly wavy from sleep. She was still wearing the shirt I’d given her the night before, looking like a goddamn vision. The cotton hit her at mid-thigh, showing off long, smooth, toned legs that I couldn’t wait to have wrapped around me again.
She turned to look back at me, smiling in a way that slammed right into my chest and filled me with warmth.
“Hey.” Her face had that soft, sleepy quality to it but lit up when she saw me in a way it never had before. It was a look I’d never seen on her, but now that I had, I wanted to see it every morning for the rest of my life. “Good morning. I was going to make some breakfast, but did you know you don’t have any food in this place?” My feet came unglued and headed right for her as she continued. “The best I could do was some coffee. But we have to drink it black.” Her smile fell, her expression growing concerned as I closed in on her. “Are you okay? What’s?—”
I kept moving, forcing her backward until her back hit the wall, then I removed the mug from her hand and placed it on the counter so I could take her face in my hands and press deepagainst her as I sealed my mouth over hers in a kiss that was charged with everything I was feeling, from the relief that she was still here to the need that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. By the time I pulled back, lowering my forehead to hers as I dragged my thumbs along her silky jawline, we were both breathing heavily.
“Morning, baby.” My voice came out rough and craggy, dripping with every emotion swirling inside of me.
Her hands came up, her fingers combing softly through my hair, and my eyes closed at the gentle, soothing touch as I leaned into it. I couldn’t get enough of touching her, and the only thing better was when she touched me back.
“You okay?”
After one last kiss, I pulled back just enough to smile down at her. “I’m perfect now that I know you didn’t take off on me.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “Oh. No. I wasn’t going to?—”
“I know. I just panicked for a moment.” Christ, it felt good waking up to her, knowing she was still under my roof, walking around in nothing but my shirt and—I caught sight of her feet and arched my brow. “Are those my winter socks?” They were way too big for her and slouched down around her ankles, the toes flopping well past her own. They looked absolutely ridiculous on her, but also cute as hell.
She held a foot out and pointed her toe. “My feet got cold, so I went rummaging. Hope you don’t mind.”
I didn’t mind one damn bit. I slid my fingers through her long silky hair. Now that I could touch her all I wanted, I couldn’t seem to make myself stop. “Bubbles, what’s mine is yours. You never have to ask.”
She got a soft, dreamy look in her eyes as she lifted up on those toes and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Good to know. But I actually do have one question I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
I dragged my nose along the column of her neck. “Shoot.”
“Why do you always do this?”
I brought my head up, my brows furrowing at her question. “Do what?”
“This.” She waved her hand in the air, circling where we were pressed together. “You always push me up against a nearby wall and hold me there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.” Her cheeks turned that pink I loved so much as her tongue slid across her bottom lip. “It’s actually really hot. I’m just wondering why.”
“I guess it’s because I’m still struggling to believe this is real,” I said in a low, quiet voice. “You’ve slipped through my fingers so many times in the past, I feel like I need to hold on to you so it doesn’t happen again.”
Those eyes of hers were pure gold, looking back and forth between my own without a hint of worry or animosity or anger. She was looking at me the same way she looked at all the other people she cared about.
