She stares at it, as if I’m not waiting, unable to breathe and desperate for her to answer me.
“Marry me,” I tell her, a command this time and that gets her attention. Her hands lower, although she still stares at me as if she’s in shock.
“For the love of all things holy, if you don’t say yes right now, I swear to God I’ll throw you over this table.”
When she smiles, this beautiful smile that reaches all the way up to her eyes, I know it’ll be all right.
“I love you,” she tells me, her cadence soothing.
“That isn’t a yes and I’m going to need you to say—”
“Yes,” she says in a breathy voice and it takes everything in me not to topple the table as I rush to her.
To kiss her. To hold her. “I love you too,” I tell her the moment she breaks our kiss. “I love you and I need you with me.”
Her eyes shine back with every emotion I feel stirring inside of me.
“I love you and I want you, and I need you too.”
Epilogue
Suzette
* * *
The city never sleeps. It provides a constant light as it slips into the office. Even at nearly 1:00 a.m.
With a deep breath in, I lie back, nestling beside Adrian on the pullout sofa. His smell surrounds me, fresh and clean with a hint of sandalwood, and so do his arms as he wraps them around me, planting a kiss on my forehead.
This is how we’ve slept for the last two weeks nearly. He stays with me, working and taking calls, while I do the same.
The numbers are promising, but not guaranteed.
“Was it a good day?” he asks me, his chest rumbling as his hand runs down my back.
“A great day. Gail secured the final client.”
“That makes me happy to hear,” he comments and although exhaustion coats his tone, I know he truly is happy. It was shaky at first. A number of clients debated on leaving, and they all wanted to renegotiate. Gail took the brunt of it.
“Me too,” I say and then ask him, “And what about you? Any updates from Wyatt?”
His friend got into a bad deal. I’m not certain of the details but I know it’s been rough on him and it involves politicians and a lawsuit and some other developer.
I was nervous at first that it might involve my friend’s husband, Mason. He’s a developer and I’ve heard whispers about the depths of corruption that surround him and his family.
He loves Jules, though, and she swears he’s one of the good ones. Thankfully, he wasn’t involved.
“He’ll be all right, but the next few years will be difficult for him. The loan I gave him will help, but he’s in for a hellish year if not longer.”
“And what about the contract?” Again, the details are murky, but I know at some point, Adrian had signed on to some piece of this shit show.
“It’s null and void. Even if I’d signed, he said it was his mistake, we’d never discussed it and he would deal with the fallout.”
“He’s a good friend.”
“He’s a good man. Not everyone survives the lows, but he will.”
“You still seem down,” I comment.
“Just a long day,” he says and settles higher up on the bed, “and my little whore has been ignoring me at work.”
“It’s after six, we’re not supposed to talk about work,” I tease him, sitting up slightly to nip his bottom lip. He gives me a gruff groan and I love it.
“Hey,” I whisper and nudge my nose against his, “I want you.”
He hums, that sound I crave before giving me the command, “Roll over.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I do as he says, laying on my stomach and watching him pull the white T-shirt over his head. This sexy powerful man who comes undone just for me. It’s heady, and I’ll never get enough of it.
My eyes close when he kisses my neck with the same passion we had the first day.
“Be a good little slut for me, and get on your knees.”
I fuck my boss every night in his office.
And I love it.
I love him.
* * *