“Nothing more?” I exclaimed. “How can you say that? It waseverythingto these families!” Quietly, I added, “It is everything to me.”
Had I really been that blind? Had I let a few years of teasing color my perception of this selfless man?
Reality hit me that maybe I hadn’t wanted to see who he truly was, but there was no denying it now. I was set to put a plan in motion to help families like Silas’s, but he went out of his way to personally help Silas’s family. I could only imagine he used his own funds, but what stood out was that he wanted no recognition. Preston simply wanted to help them.
It was incredible.Hewas incredible. My stubborn ass just needed someone else to show me.
“Luce . . .” I could tell he was trying to find the words, but I didn’t want to talk anymore. We’d spent the last six weeks talking. I knew everything I needed to know.
This time, I placed my hands on the sides of his face. My thumbs toyed with the rough texture of his beard, loving the contrast against the softness of my hands. Closing the distance between us, I placed my lips against his softly. This was the first time I chose him, and it was terrifying. What if he didn’t choose me back?
That uncertainty was squelched when he pulled me into his arms, opening his mouth and kissing me deeply. He poured everything he was feeling into our kiss, and I did the same. I didn’t have the words to express how I felt at that moment, but I hoped I could show him.
Running my hands from his face into his hair, I took two fistfuls, pulling on the short strands gently. He moaned into my mouth, and I climbed onto his lap. Preston’s hands held me gently, caressing up and down my back, allowing me to take the lead. I could only imagine it was killing him, but his restraint spoke volumes. He was here for me, allowing me to take what I needed from him.
Breaking our kiss, I dropped my forehead to his, breathless. His ragged breathing was the perfect complement to mine, and I smiled. Was this what it was like for other people? For the ones who didn’t participate in kink? I had no regrets about my sex life, but it was nice getting a taste of what it meant to have a more conventional relationship.
Pulling back, I lost myself in the hazel depths of his eyes. Preparing myself to say the words, I took a deep breath. “I want you.”
Preston’s hands moved into my hair, and he tried to pull my mouth back to his, but I resisted just slightly. Confusion spread over his face. “Are you sure?”
He wanted consent. I couldn’t blame him. It was such an integral part of what we had shared to this point.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Then I clarified, “I want it to be just us—Preston and Lucy.”
His eyes flared, and he nodded, confirming, “Just us.”
Scooping me into his arms, he stood. I clung to him, needing an anchor against the emotions swirling through my brain, threatening to overwhelm me.
After a few steps, he paused, and I looked up at him in question. Smiling down at me, he teased, “I need a little help with the door. That is, if you don’t want me to break it down again.”
That moment of levity was needed more than he would ever know. Reaching my right hand down, I turned the doorknob, allowing him to carry me over the threshold and into my bedroom. This was such a departure from our previous sexual encounters, but that was exactly what I needed.Hewas exactly what I needed.
Preston placed me gently onto the bed. Sitting up, I grasped the hem of my sweater, pulling it from my body. I bit my lip as I watched him devour me with his eyes, not daring to make a move. Reaching behind my back, I squeezed the clasp of my black lace bra, allowing it to fall away, baring my breasts to his already hungry gaze.
Getting onto my knees, I crawled to where he stood, still by the bedside. His chest rose rapidly as I took my hands and skimmed them underneath the t-shirt he now wore. Until now, I had barely been able to register that he dressed for bed after his shower.
Feeling his abs tense under my touch wasn’t enough. I wanted to see him. Grabbing two fistfuls of the white cotton, I raised it up and over his head. Tall, dark, and handsome wasn’t strong enough of a descriptor for the man standing before me. His body was sin incarnate. And he was all mine.
Capturing his lips with mine, I melted into him. Sensing my needs, he slipped his arms around my back, holding me as our tongues took their time tasting and teasing, sharing dominance.
I smiled against his lips, and he murmured against mine, “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I replied truthfully. “I’m just happy. Is that okay?”
“More than okay.” This time, he took over the kiss, and I sank into it, allowing him to ravage my mouth as if it were his last meal on Earth.
I felt him pushing me backward as he joined me on the bed. Falling back against the covers, I watched as he undid the button of my trousers before moving to the zipper. I lifted my hips as he slid the fabric down, exposing my heated flesh to the cool air of the room.
The pants barely cleared my ass before he paused, raising an eyebrow at my lack of underwear. “Still?”
My face flamed, and I brought my hands up to cover it, embarrassed.
“Look at me,” he softly commanded, but I shook my head. “Lucy, please,” he begged, and I couldn’t deny him, dropping my hands and finding his hazel eyes shining with a need to hear me say the words.
Afraid that if I said them, I’d lose Preston, instead releasing the Dominant I knew lurked right beneath the surface. I tensed but forced them out anyway. “I belong to you.”
His pupils dilated, leaving the tiniest hazel ring visible, before he closed them and took a shaky breath, dropping his forehead to my belly. I almost didn’t hear him when he said, “We belong to each other.”
