Sophia got to her feet. But instead of moving closer and falling into his arms, she turned away. “I need chocolate,” she said, heading toward the kitchen in almost a run.
Nick rose too, following her, uncertain what was happening.
Her back was to him in the kitchenette, the lid of the chocolate box now open. Apparently sensing his presence behind her, she said, “I’m sorry I’m being so weird. I think it’s really great you’re examining the priorities in your life and making positive changes. It’s just… I’m not entirely sure what this means—for us.”
Nick moved closer, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. “Sophia, we’re both old enough and have been through enough to know when something is real. And this is real. And I don’t want to keep fucking it up by not being there. Yeah—when we’re together, the sex is hot and the BDSM play is off the charts. But I want more than that. Relationships need nurturing and attention to grow. Don’t think I’m not aware of how often I’ve let you down, even in the short time we’ve known each other.”
Finally she turned to face him. “So, you’re saying you’re ready for more than friends with benefits?” Her smile was tentative—hopeful?
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he replied, taking both her hands in his. “Though our BDSM play has been seriously incredible, it’s no longer enough to just scene with you and then fuck you. I want to make love to you. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. I want to wake up with you next to me in the bed. I want to go grocery shopping with you. I want to travel with you. I want to stay home with you. I want to go estate sale hunting with you. I want to see your shop and meet your friends.”
“Nick,” she said softly, her eyes shining.
“I’ve always held myself back,” Nick continued, needing for her to understand. “I told myself it was because I had no time for a relationship. But the truth was, I’d never found the one. And now I have. You’re the one, Sophia.” His voice cracked with emotion.
He was done being careful. His heart was hers, and he had to let her know, in no uncertain terms. “I love you, Sophia,” he declared. It was the first time he’d said the words aloud. They were the truest words he’d ever spoken. “I want you in my life. I want you as my partner, with everything that entails.”
He forgot how to breathe as he waited for her response.
Her eyes were luminous with tears. Taking his face between her hands, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips. The tears brimmed over and rolled down her cheeks. “Nick,” she whispered. “Oh, Nick. I love you, too. I’ve loved you from the first day we met.” Her arms circled his neck, pulling him down for a proper kiss.
As he held her, losing himself in her taste, touch and scent, his heart lifted, bubbles of joy popping inside him like the finest champagne. As they kissed, he lifted her into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her from the kitchenette, through the living room and into the bedroom.
They fell together onto the bed, still wrapped in each other’s arms, their kisses increasingly ardent. Nick’s cock had morphed into an iron bar in his trousers. His hands roamed hungrily beneath her tunic. His fingers found the clasp of her front-closure bra and he popped it open so he could cup her lovely breasts.
She moaned against his mouth as he rolled her nipples. Dominant lust heated his blood, and he twisted her nipples, pulling a sexy cry of erotic pain from her lips.
Desperate to feel skin on skin, he rolled from the bed and quickly tore off his clothing, tossing it aside. Sophia, her eyes fixed on him, slipped off her panties and lifted her tunic over her head.
Returning to the bed, he lifted himself over her, he moved his right hand to her throat, circling it and pressing hard just beneath her jaw.
Her eyes widened as she stared up at him, her lips parting. “I’m going to claim you fully, Sophia Naomi Weinstein,” he growled, power surging through his veins. “You will belong to me in every sense of the word.”
“Yes,” she whispered breathily, her pulse throbbing beneath his fingers around her throat.
All at once, she wriggled from his grasp and shifted so he fell away from her. She climbed over him, straddling his hips. Her nipples were erect, her dimples showing, her eyes sparkling, she said, “And you’ll belong to me, too, Nicholas William Kincaid. Lock, stock and barrel.”
Laughing, Nick flipped her easily over onto her back. Reaching for her arms, he circled her wrists and pressed them into the mattress over her head. “It’s a deal,” he said.