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“You look amazing tonight,” he whispered, letting the tip of his tongue graze her earlobe. “I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you right now.”
“Oh, yeah?” she purred, letting her hand slip in between his thighs to confirm it.
Ian groaned loudly, his hand moving quickly to her wrist to tug her away. “Not yet.” He stood up, looking down on her as she sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed until she was lying back on the bed. His hands quickly went to her hips, gripping the bunched fabric there to tug it down her legs.
He stood back up, looking at her completely nude body with a blazing heat of desire in his eyes. Slowly, he pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt.
Bree slid back on the bed until she reached the pillows. “Don’t make me wait any longer,” she said. She was immediately joined by a naked and sheathed Ian, his body covering every inch of hers. She didn’t hesitate to part her thighs and allow him to slip between them. He surged forward until he was buried deep inside her.
She closed her eyes and savored the feeling. Not just the distinctly feminine experience of sex, but the intimacy it built between them. It was something she had lacked with other partners but never with Ian. And especially not now. She had never felt closer to a man in her life than she felt to Ian at this moment.
They moved together like they were one. He tasted her mouth, her breasts, her throat, drawing soft cries from her lips. She clung to him, tensing her muscles around him as she felt her release build up inside her.
“Ian!” she gasped.
“Let go,” he whispered against t
he soft line of her jaw. “Just let go.”
Bree felt herself giving in. Not just to his request to let go, but to the thoughts that were racing through her own head. She’d resisted. She had good reason to. But in the moment, she didn’t want to hold back anymore.
Bree wanted her relationship with Ian to last beyond tonight, beyond her gallery showing this weekend. She wanted to give this a real try, and Ian’s actions had encouraged her to think it was a possibility. He really seemed to enjoy the time he spent with her away from work. She’d spied the guitar in his bedroom when she walked in, so perhaps he was getting some pleasure from embracing his music again. He seemed happier. His smile was enough to make her heart ache and her chest tighten.
She could really lose her heart to Ian. Just a little life balance for them both could make all the difference in the success of their second chance.
And she wanted this to be their second chance. Not just a fun fling. It meant too much to her for that. And if she was honest with herself, she had already lost the fight. Bree loved Ian and she had since she was eighteen years old. Seeing him again had brought everything back to the surface and she was tired of fighting her feelings.
As Bree unraveled the protective wrappings around her heart, she felt her body start to unravel also. The swell of emotion and pleasure built up inside of her so quickly, she could barely react before it was upon her.
“Yes, Ian,” she whispered, clinging to his shoulders as the spasms of her release rocked through her body. “Love me!” she cried again and again until it was over. A moment later, Ian found his own release, shouting her name into the delicate crystal fixture overhead.
He was too wrapped up to understand her pleas. Love me, she’d begged, but it had nothing to do with his physical touch and everything to do with his heart.
Love me.
* * *
Ian woke early the next morning, as usual. Any other morning, he would reach for his phone to check the time, read over his email and then hit the ground running. His routine rarely varied—shower, coffee then out the door by seven and in the office by seven-thirty.
But not today.
Today, when he opened his eyes, he wasn’t propelled out of bed by the cold sheets beside him and the peek of sunlight through the windows. All he could see was golden-blond hair. Bree was curled against him, comfortable and warm. Her soft, rhythmic breathing was soothing, tempting him to fall back asleep with her in his arms. And he wanted to. He had zero interest in getting up and starting his day. He wanted to stay right where he was for as long as possible.
Propped up on his elbow, he watched her sleep for a few moments. She had the same serene expression he’d tried to catch with her camera in the mountains. The soft, pouted lips...the rose-tinted cheeks...the dark blond lashes against her peach skin... Ian wanted to memorialize the moment so he could have it with him always.
Of course, there was another way.
Ian’s chest constricted when he thought about it. Having Bree here, waking up with him every morning, was exactly what he wanted. That was better than a picture any day. He wanted her right here when he woke up and in his arms when he fell asleep. Knowing she would be at his apartment each evening was a powerful driver for him to go home when the normal workday was at an end. He desperately needed balance in his life, but for years, he’d had no reason to go home.
She might drive him mad at times, but no one else challenged him like Bree did. No one understood him, cared for him and maybe even loved him the way Bree did. She had touched him in a way no other woman had before. They may have spent far longer apart than they’d spent together, but he wanted to change that.
He was overwhelmed with the sudden urge to shake her shoulder and wake her up. When her blue eyes opened and looked up at him, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. It might be crazy, but he wanted to tell her that he loved her and ask her to marry him. It wasn’t very romantic. He didn’t have a ring or flowers or, hell, pants on, but the words were on the tip of his tongue, begging to leap out of his mouth.
When he’d proposed to Missy, there had been an ache of worry in his gut. He hadn’t wanted to do it. Every nerve in his brain was screaming for him not to do it. But now, there was only excitement. He was at peace with his decision. All he had to do was wake her up and say the words.
Bree made a soft cooing sound in his arms and rolled onto her back. A moment later, her eyes fluttered open and slowly came to focus on his face. Her nose wrinkled in sleepy confusion. “Hi,” she said. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter.” His heart started racing in his chest as the adrenalin surged through his veins. “I just wanted to ask you a question.”
