AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I chuckled softly. “Yes, I am the most esteemed of baristas in all the land, using my trauma as a work ethic, where you expanded an empire from yours.”
He flashed me a chiding look, but smiled at my tease, knowing that I did it because that's what he liked, a proper balance of serious and silly.
After dinner, Crossland took the long way home, music filtering through the speakers in the Ferrari as a comfortable silence fell over our previous non-stop conversation. It felt absolutely magical to be in this car with him after the stories he told me, heading back to his apartment like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I spent nights over there more often than not, so much so that I had everything I needed at the edge of my fingertips.
The sweet silence came with us as we rode up in the elevator, and walked into his apartment, my heels clicking on the hardwood floors as I made my way to his bedroom. I was more than ready to get out of this dress, no matter how pretty it was.
I slipped out of my heels, padding barefoot into the walk-in closet that now had a whole section just for me.
Crossland followed me inside, his fingers grazing the back of my neck as he reached for my zipper to help me out of the dress.
A warm shiver followed where his fingers lingered as he brought the zipper down with such patience and gentleness, the move indicating that we had all the time in the world.
Right now, in this moment, there was no ticking clock, no expiration date.
There was just Crossland, this incredible man helping me out of a dress.
The straps of the dress loosened once he reached my lower back, the thin strips of silk sliding down my shoulders. He took a step back, giving me the space to choose what to do next.
I could change into a pair of my favorite pajamas, the ones he’d stocked a drawer with for me, and head straight to bed, turning on Netflix for good measure.
Or I could forget about the clothes and head straight for a nice long bath.
Whatever I wanted, I knew he’d support. I knew it as easily as I knew I could trust him with the darkest parts of myself, the ones others had run away from.
But not him.
Never him.
I let the dress fall in a mess of silk at my feet, stepping out of it and turning around to face him.
His chest rose with his intake of breath, his icy blue eyes widening as he took in the sight of me. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before, except for the new matching underwear set that was made of black lace, but he still looked at me like he’d just unwrapped a brand-new present. Like I was something he’d been looking for his entire life.
That look was everything—exhilaration and need, heat and comfort. Ilivedfor that look, for his praise, for the way he made me feel like an absolute queen.
“You’re stunning,” he said, his voice rough and low.
A flush raked my body, but I smiled, doing my best to take the compliment. I was almost getting used to it after being with him for two months, and I was certainly getting better at accepting them. Of course, he made it so easy to believe his words.
He undid his tie, chucking it behind him before I helped him unbutton his dress shirt, sliding it over his muscled arms until it dropped to the floor. I took my time grazing my fingers along his broad chest, my touch unhurried.
We’d had plenty of times where clothes were torn and ripped in a desperate need to get to the other, but tonight…tonight felt different.
I kissed his chest, my fingers trembling slightly as I undid his belt, then his zipper, and he stepped out of his pants before cupping my face in his hands, capturing my mouth in his.
The kiss was slow, almost sweet compared to the ones that had come before it. And I wasn’t sure if it was because we’d laid ourselves bare earlier, opening up subjects that tore at both of our hearts or if it was just us, but I was here for it.
Here for him.
Here for all of it.
Crossland broke our kiss only long enough to unclasp my bra and slide my thong down my legs, then made quick work of his own boxer-briefs. A breath later and I was in his arms, him sweeping me off my feet and kissing me before carrying me out of the closet and to his bed.
The city sparkled in the night outside of his floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the room in the softest silver glow as he laid me gently on the bed.
He kissed me again, his tongue gliding against mine in a way that continuously made me ache in places I never knew could ache, and I wrapped my arms around him, beckoning him to come closer.
