“What? Oh. No.”
“You want to flood out our bathroom?” He arches a brow.
It’s my turn to let my gaze roam the length of him. He removed the suit jacket and tie long ago, the white shirt unbuttoned at the neck, exposing the tanned column of his throat. His shirtsleeves are rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms, and everything inside me goes liquid.
Hot.
“No.” I slowly shake my head, my fingers brushing against his right arm. Bare skin that’s hot. A body that’ll help me forget. “I threw my phone out the window.”
“We’re on the thirty-sixth floor, Syl.”
“I know. My mom wouldn’t stop texting me.”
It takes everything for him to remain calm. I can see the internal struggle happening in his turbulent gaze. “What did she say?”
“Nothing important.” I push her words aside. I don’t want to think about them. I don’t want to think about her.
“Important enough to piss you off and have you stomping in here after tossing your phone out the window.”
“I can buy another one,” I say with a little shrug. “I can buy a hundred new ones. And I bet she’d eventually figure out my new phone number and know how to get in contact with me.”
He tilts his head to the side, studying me with those dark, assessing eyes. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
“I was trying to tell you something earlier. Before she came in.” I form my lips into a little pout before I dance away from him, going over to the counter and hopping onto it, so I’m sitting on the edge, my legs dangling. “Do you remember?”
He comes closer, crowding me, his hands braced on either side of the counter, his arms boxing me in. His scent fills my head, making me dizzy, and I lean forward, until my face is directly in his. “I remember,” he murmurs.
“Should I say it now?” I brush his mouth with mine. Featherlight. A complete tease. “Or wait?”
“Should I go turn off that water?” When I smile, his expression turns stern. “I’m serious. You’re going to flood the apartment if we don’t watch it.”
“That tub is massive.”
“And it doesn’t take long to fill it up.” He’s about to walk away when I grab hold of his shirt front, keeping him with me. “Come on, Syl. Let me—”
“I love you,” I announce, interrupting him.
He goes still, his gaze settling on mine. Hot and burning bright. “Yeah?”
I nod, slowly undoing each button of his shirt, exposing the strong expanse of his chest. “Yes. I love you. I never say it. It’s a scary statement to make, that you love someone that’s not a member of your family. And even then, us Lancasters don’t make declarations of love often. We keep our feelings tucked away inside, where they’re safe.”
He doesn’t say a word as I work at removing his shirt. When it’s nothing but a discarded scrap of fabric on the floor, I reach for his belt, slowly undoing it.
“You don’t have anything to say?”
“I figured you weren’t finished.”
The moment his trousers are undone, I’m sliding my hand inside, curling my fingers around his erection. He’s fully hard and throbbing against my palm, and I feel an answering throb between my thighs. “You are the only person in this entire world who makes me feel safe, Spence. Only you.”
He leans in, nuzzling my cheek, his mouth at my ear. “I would destroy this entire world if it meant keeping you safe.”
I dive my hand beneath his boxer briefs, encountering velvety, hot skin. “You mean it?”
“With my whole heart.” He nips at my ear, making me shiver. “Which you own, by the way.”
“Spencer,” I whisper, suddenly overcome. To the point that my eyes are damp and my throat is thick. “I’ve been in love with you for what feels like forever.”
“Even when you were married to someone else?” He thrusts his cock into my hand, and I squeeze him hard, making him groan.