***
She looks so peaceful lying in our bed, tangled in the sheets. She’s curled into a tiny ball, illuminated only by the light shining in through the gap in the curtains. But still, she’s so beautiful. So f**king beautiful.
I strip silently, leaving my clothes in a heap on the floor before climbing into bed next to her. She curls up tighter, and I know she’s not asleep, so I reach forward and pull her into my arms.
She sighs heavily as I tangle our bodies together and bury my face in her neck. Her hair tickles my nose, and the gentle scent of vanilla grounds me.
“What are you doing?” she whispers. I can hear the tears in her voice and it breaks my heart.
I kiss her shoulder and squeeze her to me. “I’m holding you, baby. What else do you think I’m doing?”
“You shouldn’t be. You should hate me.”
I shake my head, pulling her onto her back. Leaning over her, I gaze down into her sad eyes. Silly, silly woman.
“I could never hate you, Dayton. Not ever.” A tear escapes the corner of her eye and I brush it away with my thumb, leaving my hand lying beside her face. “So don’t say such ridiculous things.”
She cups my cheek. “Why aren’t you mad at me?”
“Because you didn’t keep it a secret to spite me. You kept it to protect me, and yes, it was a little misguided and unnecessary, but you did it because you care.”
“But you did that, too, and I left you.”
I close the distance between our mouths and kiss her with the same certainty I purchased two rings with earlier. “I’m not leaving you, beautiful woman, so get that thought right out of your pretty little head. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.”
“But you did. Earlier. When you found out. You left then.”
There’s so much fear in her eyes. Oh, sweetheart.
“Because I was a kind of angry I never want you to see,” I say softly. “But it wasn’t at you. Not entirely, anyway. Most of it was at her, and if you hadn’t sent Tyler after me, I just might have found her apartment and done something incredibly stupid.”
“I’m sorry.” She hugs me tightly, and I roll us onto our sides. I tuck her into my body, holding her so tight that I’m afraid I may snap her.
I know how sorry she is. It’s in every unsaid word and every unshed tear.
“I know. We’ll talk some more in the morning, okay? Get some sleep now.”
“Never go to sleep on an argument,” she mutters. “That’s what my mom always taught me. You sort it out first.”
“Bambi, we’re not arguing. Not even close.” I gently sweep my thumb over her eyelids, making her close her eyes, and rest one of her arms over my waist. She flattens her hand against my back, splaying her fingers. “Now we’re going to go to sleep together and wake up the same way, today and every day. Understand?”
She buries her face into my neck with a nod. “I don’t deserve you.”
That thought is so absurd, and I almost laugh as I kiss her head. “And I don’t deserve you, so I guess we’re even. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
The One With The Red Outfit
I shut the door behind me and leave the keys on the table next to me. The house is completely silent—bar Dayton singing quietly upstairs. My lips curve into a gentle smile, and I pause at the bottom of the stairs, just listening to her slightly out-of-tune voice ramble the words of some song.
I can barely believe she’s mine, this unbelievably gorgeous woman. After everything we’ve been through, sometimes I have to touch her to make sure she’s real and not a figment of my imagination. That this time, we’re getting it right, with no secrets or lies.
This is nothing but me and the woman I have loved for as long as I remember in our Parisian hideaway.
I quietly walk upstairs, my eyes on the cracked-open bedroom door the whole time. Her voice fades into a low hum in another tune I don’t recognize. I flatten my hand against the door and push silently, stepping into the room.
My gaze tumbles over her body. She’s lying on her front in the middle of the bed with her dark hair falling over her shoulders, her knees bent and swinging back and forth behind her.
But that’s not what is holding my attention. That would be the red lace molded to her body and the round curve of her bare ass. The black stockings with a red seam running up the back of her legs. My dick hardens at the sight of her and she hasn’t even registered my presence yet. I take advantage of this and the fact she’s facing away from me as I slip off my shoes.
I cross the room on tiptoes and jump onto the bed over her. Dayton screams and attempts to roll over, but I grab her wrists and hold her down where she is.
“Well, hello there.” I drop a kiss to her bare shoulder, and she relaxes.
“Aaron, you bastard. You scared the shit out of me.” She flicks her legs up and nudges me in the back with curled toes.
I smile against her skin. “I’m sorry. My first instinct was to jump on you when I saw you.”
She turns her head to the side, and I lean back so she can meet my eyes. “Oh, you like this, then?” She wriggles, her ass rubbing against my c**k doing nothing for the throbbing erection I possess. “It’s just something I threw on.”
“Like it? I was wondering when you were going to wear this for me.” I release her wrists and let her roll over.
She looks up at me with dark eyes full of seduction and runs her hands up my arms. “I wasn’t going to make you wait too long. It was expensive, after all.”
My eyes flit to the way the outfit pushes her gorgeous tits together, and I palm one gently. “It was worth every penny,” I murmur, dropping my face to hers.
She takes my sweeping kiss, and her tongue meets mine thrust for thrust. Her fingers tangle in my hair, and I groan, firmly squeezing her breast.
“Were you planning to seduce me, Miss Black?”
She gasps when I run my lips down her neck and nip lightly. “Whatever gives you that idea, Mr. Stone?”
A primal thrill runs through me like it always does when she says my name.
“The red lace… The string panties… The stockings… You’re just missing a pair of red heels.”
“It can be arranged.”
I get off of her and pull her into a sitting position. “Not can be. It has been. Get your ass off this bed and put those heels on, Dayton. And this is not a demand.”
She sighs, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and shoots a flirty glance over her shoulder as she saunters to the closet. “Gosh, I love your requirements.”