She didn’t want Constantine to hurt, but at least she knew he cared. She darted toward him then, falling to her knees in front of him, and put her hands on his muscular thighs. Touching him. Touching him felt right. “I wear the bracelet to remind me of what I never want to become again. To remind me that no matter how bad it gets in court, I am not like him.”
In response, he distanced himself from her—no sign of him reaching for her. His eyes were black ice. “That you need that reminder says everything,” he whispered. “Your past defines who you are.”
She ripped the bracelet from her arm. “I don’t need the bracelet. I’m done running from the past. I’m done letting it define me. I’m resigning from my job. I’m going to start fresh. I need to start fresh. And I want to do it with you.”
Surprise flashed in his face. A hint of hope. Then it was gone; the coldness, back. “Until I do something that makes you question yourself, or maybe my intentions. Something that has you painting me as a bad influence.”
“No.” How could she get through to him? At this point, proclaiming her love would fall on deaf ears. He believed she had a negative opinion of him and, on some level, didn’t trust him. She recalled a conversation they’d had back in Houston—she knew what to do.
Her eyes traveled the room, looking for the tool she sought before pushing to her feet. At the window, she tugged away the sashes holding the curtains and returned to her prior position, on her knees, in front of him.
Nicole stared up at him, hoping he saw the truth in her eyes as she spoke. “I believe in you. I trust you.” She held out the sashes. “Tie me up, Constantine. You know I wouldn’t let you if I didn’t completely trust you. Be the first. Be the last. Be the only one.”
A look of disbelief crossed his face. “What?”
She repeated her words, eager to make them take root in his mind. “You said I wouldn’t let you tie me up until I trusted you completely. I do. I…Constantine.” She drew a deep breath for courage. “I have no idea how you feel about me, but I—”
And then she was in his arms. He lay back on the mattress, pulling her with him. A second later, she was the one on her back, Constantine’s big body on top of her, kissing her, devouring her with passion and warmth.
Long moments later, he tore his lips from hers. “You want to know how I feel about you?” he asked, staring down at her. “I love you, Nicole. I love you with all of my heart.”
Her arms wrapped around his neck, her heart swelling with joy. “I love you, too. I love you so much.”
Tenderness filled his face. “Then do run away. Run away with me, Nicole. Take a year off from work, and travel the world. With me. We’ll be careful. Carlos won’t be able to follow us.”
Her mind was still reeling from the “take a year off and travel the world” statement, when he spoke again.
“It’ll work, cariña. If we’re lucky, he’ll be in custody by the time you and I hit our first destination. Nelson is waiting for a yes, and then he’ll coordinate everything. So say yes.”
Everything was falling into place. “I…Yes. Okay.” Her fingers brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. “But I can’t just run off for a year, as wonderful as that sounds. I have to figure out what is next for me. Maybe my own firm. I have some money, but—”
He grabbed her hand tenderly and kissed it. When they were intimate, he did that often, and she loved it. “Forget money,” he said. “I told you, I have money. For travel, for whatever you need.”
“I can’t forget money.” Working as a public servant didn’t allow her much saving, and taking money from her father meant working for him, which would never happen again.
“If money weren’t an issue, would you take the year and enjoy it?”
“Yes, but—”
He kissed her. And kissed her some more. By the time his lips left hers, she ached with need, and couldn’t remember what they had been talking about. But he did. “Money isn’t an issue,” he declared. “We’ll leave the day the trial ends.”
She didn’t consider arguing. She loved him and he, her, and she believed in that for the first time in her life. “All right, then,” Nicole whispered. Somehow she still held the sashes in her hands. She smiled. “Want to tie me up to seal the deal?”
“Later,” he murmured huskily. “Now I just want to make love to you, Nicole. Nice and slow.” And he kissed her again, starting with her lips and then exploring, tasting, loving, until she shivered with release. And then he started all over again.