She turns onto her side, looking up at me with her heart in her eyes. “I love you so much, Lucian. Even with everything that’s happened in the last few months, loving you has made me the happiest I’ve ever been and it terrifies me. I fight the urge every day to push back because you’ve become my life in such a short amount of time.” Giving a wry laugh, she adds, “I know women aren’t supposed to say stuff like that to men because it makes them sound clingy and needy, but I want you to understand why I’m afraid to jump in with both feet. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I have to keep some part of who I am. I have to take care of myself. It’s what I know. It’s…all I’ve ever known.”

I look into her solemn eyes and marvel once again that someone so young could have so much wisdom. I’ll never fully know what she’s gone through in her lifetime to make her this way, but she’s a fucking tower of strength and I don’t see that ever changing. To take her independence away would be to destroy her. I’ll care for her in every way she’ll allow and do my best to nurture the fighter within her. “I understand, baby,” I say softly.

As I have so often done in the past, I instinctively rely on the touch of my body against hers to say everything I feel. We’ve seemed to communicate this way from the very beginning and before I’m even conscious of doing it, I have her T-shirt and my boxers off. I leave the lamp on and settle between her thighs. I’m content for a moment to simply stare into her expressive eyes. Soon though, it’s not enough. As if it has a mind of its own, my hard cock rubs through her wetness, causing us both to gasp out. “Love me now, Luc,” she moans as I continue to tease her.

I slip inside her just an inch before pulling back out. Her ankles come up to lock around my hips as she tries to force me into her wet heat. I’m just a second away from thrusting home when it hits me that I don’t have a condom on. I grit my teeth and pull back, telling her what I’m doing as I fumble in the drawer of the nightstand. When I’ve sheathed my cock, I waste no more time. As soon as I’m back between her legs, I put one hand under her ass, arching her hips up, and bury myself to the hilt. She screams my name as I set a hard, steady rhythm. After the fear of losing her earlier, I feel a primal need to stake my claim on her body again. Her cunt grips me greedily, taking everything I’m giving and begging for more. At this point, I don’t know who is possessing who. I plant my knees on the bed, taking both of her hips in my hands and pull her into each thrust. My breath is ragged and my spine is tingling. I’m seconds away from coming and I want her with me. I grind my root against her clit and her shrieks let me know she’s almost there. “Come on my cock, baby. Now. Give it to me,” I command, and as if waiting for those words, she begins convulsing, throwing me into my own orgasm. With each contraction of her body, I come until I wonder how I can have anything left.

Finally, when I don’t think I can take any more, we both start to float down with only the occasional aftershock rippling through our bodies. I dispose of the condom before wetting a washcloth and bringing it back to the bed. She is already limp and close to dozing off as I quickly clean between her thighs before tossing the cloth into the laundry basket. I flip the light off and crawl back in bed, pulling her into my arms. “Love you,” she murmurs as her body goes limp against mine.

“You too, baby,” I reply, noting how it gets easier and easier to accept her love and profess my own. No doubt, I’ll be like some teenaged sap before long, texting her every five minutes during the day with some form of “I love you.” Maybe even using some of those damn emoticons or whatever the hell they are that Sam, of all people, uses in texts. I hope the fuck that falling in love doesn’t mean I have to give over my balls and start acting like some kind of pussy. When Lia mumbles something in her sleep before throwing a leg over mine, I wonder if I’d even give a damn if that happened. For this woman, I’d do it all without complaint. The moment feels wonderfully normal and I wish with all my heart that we could remain in this cocoon forever. Inevitably though, I know the morning will come as it always does and there is still too much turmoil around us for this tranquility to last.

Chapter Four

Lia

Our lives have fallen back into the regular routine again in the week since our fight and subsequent talk about Lucian’s past. He’s watching the morning stock reports as I stumble into the kitchen. My cup of coffee sits on the counter next to him as it almost always does. He’s also fixed me my favorite multi-grain bagel with blueberry cream cheese. He’s in his usual attire of suit pants, tie, and dress shirt. His suit jacket is hanging on the back of another chair. Just thinking of a man looking like he stepped straight from the pages of a GQ magazine fixing me breakfast each morning is enough to make me go weak at the knees and damp at the core. He is so sexy that I can hardly believe he’s all mine sometimes.

“Morning, baby,” he says as if sensing my presence.

I stop staring and walk over to where he has now turned on his barstool and is looking at me in question. I shake my head, not wanting to explain what I had been thinking. I wiggle between his spread thighs and wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls me up onto my tiptoes and I taste the coffee on his lips as he kisses me. “Mmm, good morning to you, too,” I purr against his mouth as I lick my lips. Oh God, he smells so good this close. A mixture of soap, cologne, and Lucian. I admit I’ve had a few stalker-type moments where I’ve put just a touch of his cologne on the collar of my shirt so I could smell him all day.