Samson's Lovely Mortal

TWELVE

Samson sent Ricky and Thomas off to investigate the murder of the accountant. They would also review background checks of John and anybody he worked with at Scanguards. Amaury remained at the house with them.

“I think it’s pretty clear that it wasn’t John’s idea to harm you. He was obviously working for somebody, and this somebody killed him,” Samson stated.

“But why would somebody want to harm me? I only met him a week ago, and I don’t know anybody else here in San Francisco. I have no enemies,” Delilah protested.

“And this person knew we were onto him, don’t forget that,” Amaury interjected. “And got to John before we could. Isn’t that telling us something?”

Samson nodded. “That’s right. Whoever it was, he didn’t want us to interrogate John and find out who’s behind this, or what this is about. Can you think of any reason why he or anybody else would want to hurt you?”

The thought that somebody else was still out there, wanting to hurt the woman he desired so deeply, tore at his heartstrings. If anybody as much as harmed a hair on her head, they’d have to deal with his wrath. It would be ugly.

“I’m only here for the audit, nothing else. I’m used to people not being too happy to see me, but that doesn’t mean they want to harm me.”

“Then it has to do with the audit. It’s your only connection to John and to San Francisco. It’s the only explanation. Has the audit produced any results?” Samson was curious.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing unexpected, at least not so far. I’ve had problems getting to some of the supporting documentation for some of the issues I’m looking into, but I still have till Wednesday, so I’m sure I’ll figure out what’s wrong.” Delilah seemed very confident about her work. “I’ve always found whatever there was to be found.”

“Is that your reputation? Is that why New York hired you?” Samson let his eyes sweep over her small form. Was she some kind of super sleuth? Would she also figure him out soon? How long did he have until she’d discover his secret? How long till she’d run screaming from his house?

“That’s all I do. I don’t do regular financial audits. I only work on special investigations. If somebody is cooking the books, I’ll find it. I’ve already found a few indications that somebody is defrauding the company. I just have to confirm who is behind it.”

There was an air of confidence about her, almost pride. He believed her instantly. If she said she’d find it, she would. Of course, this also meant, he himself had to be extremely careful and quickly come up with a strategy of how to tell her what he was. He had to tell her that he was a vampire, because he wasn’t going to let her leave.

“Take all the time you need—I’m extending your contract indefinitely.” This would take the time pressure off him. Wednesday was just too early.

“Can you do that?” Delilah looked first at him and then at Amaury. “Can he do that?”

Amaury smirked. “He’s the boss. What he says, goes.”

“You make me sound like a tyrant.” He gave his friend a scolding look. “I assure you, I’m nothing of the kind. But being the boss does have its perks.” Samson smiled at her. “You can work out of here. My office is at your disposal. You’ll have universal access to all files, not just for the San Francisco branch, but all our branches. Whatever information you need, I can get it for you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I can work at the downtown office. Besides, I need the box of transaction documents I had John get for me. I’m not done with it yet. It’s still at the office.”

Samson shook his head. “I’ll have somebody bring it here. I’m not letting you out of my sight. If somebody was able to get to John and kill him, they’ll try to do the same to you. I can’t take that risk.” A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought of anybody harming her.

“Do you always get what you want?” Her voice had an edge to it. He understood why. She was still angry with him for checking up on her background.

“I don’t. But this time I will. No discussion. You’ll work here. One of us will always be with you.” He nodded at Amaury, asking his friend silently to support him. At present, Delilah seemed more inclined to listen to anybody else but himself.

“He’s right, Delilah. If somebody thought it so important to get rid of you, they’re not going to stop just because we tracked down John and his brother-in-law.”

Great, so they were both ganging up on her. Maybe she was still in shock, but her thoughts seemed clear to her. Delilah was still mad as hell at Samson for not trusting her. She was confused about the mixed signals she was getting from him, and she was frightened at the thought of somebody being after her to harm her. If everything had been fine between her and Samson, she would have had no problems with the arrangement, but now, things were different. If he thought that by making her stay at his house, he could get her back into his bed, then he’d get a rude awakening.

She would tell him so right now, so he’d know his place. “Fine. I’ll stay here to finish the audit. But I don’t date clients.”

From his reaction she could see that he hadn’t expected her statement. His jaw dropped. It took a few seconds for him to find his composure.

“We’ll discuss this later, in private.”

The hell they would. The less she was alone with him, the better. Delilah recalled the moment when Ricky had told them about John’s death, and how Samson had taken the opportunity to take her into his arms. She hadn’t had the strength to protest then, but she felt better now. She wouldn’t give him another opportunity to wiggle his way back into her heart, only to let him hurt her again. She had to shut him out. This was just a job, nothing else. And that was exactly how she would treat this from now on.

“I’d better get to work.”

“Now?” Samson raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t sleep anyway.” Delilah knew that with all the things that had happened there was no way in hell she’d be able to close her eyes. “You don’t have to stay up with me. Just show me your office and give me access to the files.”

Samson’s office was larger than Delilah had expected. It was paneled in a rich, dark wood and had one wall of shelves completely stuffed with books from top to bottom. There was a huge desk with several computer screens, a sofa with a couple of armchairs, and a coffee table.

She had expected him to show her the systems and then leave, but instead both he and Amaury stayed and started working with her, assisting her with reviewing files, tracing transactions and making phone calls to New York to verify information. It appeared that even in the middle of the night people worked at Headquarters. With direct access to all files of the company her work would be much easier. Nobody was putting any restrictions on her.

Delilah found it strange that he suddenly trusted her like this. Samson had one of his staff bring the storage box from the office which she’d been working on during the day. Now he and Amaury were pouring over information spread out on the coffee table, while she sat in his comfortable office chair and scrolled through the computer files.

He’d given her his logon and password, and she had free reign. If she had wanted to, she could have gone into all his private files and looked at what he was up to. But she didn’t. She wouldn’t snoop around. She wouldn’t stoop so low and do to him what he’d done to her. This was different from opening a few drawers in his bedroom.

Delilah looked at Samson who had his head buried in the papers, talking quietly to Amaury. His long lashes were as dark as his shaggy hair, which she’d made a mess of the night before, wildly running her hands through it and pulling him closer to her. Even now, despite how much he’d hurt her, she found him more desirable than any man she’d ever met.

As if he felt her gaze on him, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at her. Caught! He gave her the faintest of smiles, and she felt heat stream into her cheeks. This man could confuse the hell out of her. She quickly turned back to the computer screen. She had to keep a cool head. In a few days her work would be done, especially if she worked through the weekend, and then she was free to leave. All this would just be a distant memory.

The hours ticked by, and to her surprise the two men did not get tired. Knowing that Samson had barely slept the night before when they had—nevermind. And then he’d been in business meetings all day. Well, it was none of her concern anyway. He was a grown up. If he didn’t think he needed any sleep, she wasn’t going to care. At least tomorrow was the weekend, and nobody would have to get up too early.

She suddenly suppressed a yawn and glanced at the clock.

“Wow, it’s almost six o’clock.”

Samson and Amaury looked at each other.

“Damn,” Amaury exclaimed.

Samson said something to him Delilah couldn’t hear, and Amaury nodded.

“I’d better get some sleep. Good night,” she said and got up, switching off the computer.

Samson stood and followed her out of the room. ” ‘Night, Amaury.”

” ‘Night.”

In the hallway, her suitcase was still at the same place she had dropped it earlier. Before she could pick it up, Samson took it and started walking upstairs with it. Tired, she followed him.

“You and Amaury didn’t have to stay up with me this long. I could have done this by myself.”

“Don’t worry about us. We’re used to being up late. And besides, it’s my company. I have a vested interest in finding out who’s trying to pull a fast one on us.”

As they reached the top of the stairs, he headed for his bedroom, while she made a move toward the guest room. She stopped when she saw where he was going, still holding onto her suitcase.

“I need my suitcase.” Delilah reached out her hand, expecting him to hand it to her.

“That’s why I’ve brought it up with me. Come.” He opened the door and turned to wait for her to join him.

“I don’t think you understand: when I told you that I don’t date clients, it wasn’t a joke.”

“Then I’m afraid I’m going to have to fire you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not. I’m practical.” He hovered at the open door.

Delilah crossed her arms in front of her chest, assuming a defensive position. She needed all the strength she could muster. “Even if you fire me, I won’t sleep in your room. I’ll be in the guestroom.” She spun on her heels and walked away.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” There was no malice in his voice, just a firm determination.

“Watch me.” She made her challenge clear. If he really thought he could get her back this easily, he had to be completely loony.

“I would hate to have to beat up Amaury.”

“What?” She turned. What did Amaury have to do with this? It made not a lick of sense to her. If his plan was to confuse her, he’d succeeded. She was all ears.

“I would hate to find the two of you together in the guest bedroom. He’s staying. So unless you want to start a big fight between two good friends, I suggest you stay with me.”

So that was what the two of them had been whispering about in the office. He’d tricked her. “You were planning this, weren’t you? You know what? I can sleep on the couch in the living room.”

Samson shook his head, and his eyes gazed at her, full of softness and warmth. It wasn’t fair.

“I’m still mad at you.” She hadn’t wanted to say this, but it just came out.

“I know that. You have my word: I won’t touch you. I know when I’ve made a mistake, and I know when to apologize. But would you please give me a chance to explain things to you, so that maybe you can forgive me?” His tone was pleading. “I don’t want this to end.”

Delilah met his gaze. “What?”

“Us.” He stretched out his free hand. “Please talk to me.”

Hesitantly she moved toward him, her feet not following her brain, which told her not to fall for his charm again. Seconds later, she was in his bedroom and heard him shut the door behind her. She was alone with him. She needed to be whipped, severely. Had she not just five minutes ago promised herself to stay away from him?

Samson switched on the fireplace and sat down in front of it, looking into the flames. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Well, you did.” She wouldn’t make this easy for him. If he wanted her forgiveness, he’d have to work for it. Hard. Just looking so darn irresistible wasn’t going to get him out of this quagmire.

Sure, tell your body that! Oh, shut up!

“And I’m very sorry about it. I know I can’t take it back, but I would like you to see my side of it, too. You showed up at my house, completely unexpected and so enticing. And then you instantly wrapped me around your little finger—”

“Did not,” Delilah protested, but inwardly had to smile. He really thought she’d wrapped him around her finger? No man had ever said that of her. She wasn’t a temptress. Never had been, never would be. She wouldn’t even know where to start.

He smiled at her. “Did too. And you so willingly shared my bed. Believe me, no man is that lucky.”

Delilah looked at him. Did he actually mean that? Had he looked in the mirror lately? Guys like him did get this lucky. All the time.

“That’s not a good enough reason for going behind my back.”

“No, but fear of another betrayal is. What’s that saying? ‘Once burned, twice shy’?”

“Betrayal?” Now she was curious.

“There was a woman.” Samson looked at her to check for her reaction. Should he tell her the whole story, all of it? It would help her understand why he’d been so afraid. Why thinking she would betray him had sent him into such a tailspin.

“The redhead.”

He was stunned. How had she guessed?

“You looked so tense, so full of rage when you spoke to her.”

He stretched out his hand to motion her to sit with him. Delilah obliged him and took a seat on the floor pillows next to him. He wanted to feel her close when he told her what had happened. Not even his friends knew the details he was willing to share with her. All they knew was that he’d discovered that she’d been after his money. He’d never told anybody about the horrible things he’d overheard her say on the phone.

“I was introduced to her by a mutual acquaintance. Ilona was new in town. We started dating, and she made me believe that she cared for me. I was at a point in my life where I didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

“Did you love her?” Delilah’s voice was low, almost as if she hadn’t wanted to ask that question. No woman wanted to hear a man confess that he loved somebody else. Even he knew that much.

“I believed so at the time. Everybody told me what a great couple we were, so I figured if everybody saw it, it had to be true. The night I was planning to propose to her, I surprised her. She hadn’t expected me. I overheard her on the phone, talking to one of her friends. The things she said …”

Samson felt her soft hand on his forearm, stroking him gently. It felt so good to have Delilah’s warm hand caress him. He didn’t dare touch her for fear she’d stop. Her fingers were comforting and soothing.

“She said, she hated being touched by me, that she couldn’t stand making love to me, and that once she’d be bl … married to me, she didn’t care who saw to my sexual needs, but it wasn’t going to be her. That she’d throw up if she had to kiss me again.” Even now he couldn’t repeat her exact words.

Delilah looked at him, her eyes wide in shock.

“All she wanted was my money.” And once she had it, she would have had somebody get rid of him. He couldn’t prove it, but he suspected it.

“But weren’t you going to have a prenup? Everybody in California has one.”

He shook his head. “That’s not how it works with me. No prenup. The woman I marry one day will have equal rights to everything I own. She will be my partner, in life and in business. Once I commit myself to somebody, it’ll be without reservations.” A blood-bond was more than a marriage. A blood-bond was marriage without prenup, without divorce. It truly was till death do us part. He would have to explain it to her, one day, one day soon.

“Oh.”

“But that’s not all. After I broke it off with her, I couldn’t trust another woman. I didn’t want to see anybody, nobody interested me.”

“That’s normal after a breakup like that,” she said softly, compassion clearly written in her lovely face.

Samson shook his head. “It’s not normal for a man to suddenly have no sexual appetite anymore. And it’s definitely not normal to have no erection for nine months.”

Her mouth fell open at his frank admission.

“It’s true.” He nodded, watching her.

“Your friends know all this?”

“Only the basics, I never told them what actually happened and what she said. You’re the only person who knows.”

He’d confided in her and her alone. He felt her move closer to him.

“So your friends tried to help you and got you a stripper …” Delilah let the sentence hang in the air.

“And instead, you showed up, and suddenly everything sprung back to life. I couldn’t believe what was happening at first, but when I kissed you for the first time, and you were struggling to fight me off, I got so turned on … Suddenly everything that had been dormant for so long woke up.”

Her cheeks colored a gorgeous shade of pink.

“Can you imagine how scared I was when Carl found those files in your luggage, and I thought our meeting wasn’t a coincidence? That you’d been playing me? That you didn’t want me, but my money? I’d just started feeling something again, and just then, I thought you’d been …” It was painful to talk about it even now. “Please forgive me. I should have talked to you immediately and asked you about the files. I could have spared us this.”

Delilah put her finger onto his lips. “Shh.” How could she continue to be mad at him when he’d opened up to her like that? What man would admit that he’d had erection problems, especially to a woman he wanted to get into bed? This couldn’t be some cheap trick. She looked into his eyes, searching for a sign that she was mistaken, that he couldn’t be trusted, but there was none. Nobody would stoop this low to get what he wanted, would he? No. His voice, his face, everything felt and sounded honest, open. He’d told her everything.

But there was still another question. She didn’t want to ask it, but she had to. She owed it to herself. At least then she’d know where she stood.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Does this mean that you just want sex? I mean, it’s ok,” she added hastily. She didn’t want to sound like a prude or too needy. “If that’s all you want. I can understand, given the circumstances. I mean, what man wouldn’t want to catch up, right? Nine months is a long time for a man. And we’re both consenting adults. I mean, this is just a fling. Anyway, I don’t even live here, I have to go back to New York …” She was babbling. She knew there was no future in this. At least she knew now that the reason he wanted her was because he was starved for sex. Fair enough. They were adults. She could deal with it, couldn’t she? Couldn’t she?

Samson’s hand went to her face, his thumb stroking her jaw. His gaze moved from her trembling lips to her eyes. She shivered, but she wasn’t cold.

“I want more.”

“More sex?” Her voice shaky, she avoided his gaze.

“More of everything. More of you, not just sex. This isn’t about sex anymore. And I’ll prove it to you. Tonight—”

“It’s already day.”

“Today, all I want is having you sleep in my arms. No sex: I just want to be close to you. You don’t even have to be naked. In fact, it’s probably better if you’re not. I don’t expect you to forgive me immediately; I know you’re still mad at me, but I need to have you close. I need to feel you breathe beside me, I need your warmth. Please.”

As much as Samson hungered for her body and to be inside of her, he owed her this much. He needed to prove to her that he didn’t just want her for sexual gratification, that he respected her decisions. If he could hold off his sexual urges for the day to prove to her that he needed her for something other than sex, he had a chance at making her his for good. It was worth the sacrifice. She was worth the sacrifice.

“You want me just here with you? You won’t kiss me?”

He looked at her lips, slightly parted and moist. Of course he wanted to kiss her, but how could he stop after that? He pulled Delilah into his arms and pressed her head against his chest, smoothing his palm over her hair. “I promised you when you came in here tonight that I wouldn’t touch you. I’m gonna stick to it.”

“You’re touching me now.”

“You know what I meant, so don’t split hairs with me.” He chuckled softly, knowing that if she teased him, she couldn’t be quite as mad anymore.

Samson let her change in the bathroom while he stripped down to his boxers in the bedroom. He used the spare bathroom down the hall to get ready for bed, figuring as a woman she’d be in his on-suite bathroom for longer than he cared to stay up. The sun had come up already, and he needed to get some sleep. He felt his body tiring fast and his energy draining quickly.

He lay down in bed, pulling the covers over him. It only took a couple of minutes until he heard the bathroom door open and saw her. If he had been tired before, suddenly all of that was wiped away. Was she planning to seduce him?

Delilah wore the sexiest baby-doll nightdress he’d ever seen—the only one he’d ever seen—the fabric of which was far too thin to leave anything to the imagination. Not that he had to imagine anything in the first place. He had a mental photograph of every inch of her body safely locked away in his memory bank.

She slipped underneath the covers and right into his arms, molding her pliable body to his. Samson was sure she noticed the hungry look with which he devoured her. He hoped that sleep would claim him soon so he could keep his promise, but knew instinctively that it wouldn’t come fast enough.

“You said you wanted me to sleep in your arms, right?”

“Yes, but I also said, you should not be naked.” His hands went around her, pressing her closer to him. He could feel every muscle in her body.

“I’m not naked.”

“That’s debatable.” She felt naked to him. His response was automatic. Blood surged to his loins as if somebody had opened the gates to a dam. Hoover Dam, for all he knew.

She moved her head close to his, tempting him with her sweet scent. “Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?”

“Better not.” He could barely speak now, trying to hold back the urge to take her. Images of her glistening skin against his flooded his mind. Their bodies moving in synch, his hard cock impaling her, pumping hard, slamming into her. He felt pearls of sweat building on his brow, heat surging through his body as he tried to fight against his nature.

“Don’t you find me attractive anymore?”

She knew exactly what she was doing, even more so when he felt her hand run down his chest, to his stomach, to his boxers. He was unable to stop her, not because he didn’t have the physical strength, but because all rational thought flew right out of his head. When her hand wrapped around his erection, he knew he’d lost the battle, but he made one more attempt at keeping his promise.

“You should stop. I made a promise.” It was difficult for him to speak. All his brain could think about was her soft palm moving up and down his cock.

“I didn’t, which means I can touch you all I want.” He couldn’t believe his ears. The reason he had promised her not to touch her was so he could gain her trust back and earn her forgiveness, and what did she do? She shamelessly seduced him.

“You can’t be serious. You’re mad at me, remember?”

Delilah looked up at him and shook her head. “Not anymore. If I was still mad at you, I wouldn’t be in your bed right now. And I wouldn’t be touching you the way I am.” Her hand squeezed tighter around his hard shaft as she moved along his steely length. “So, would you please stop playing hard to get and kiss me?”

“Hard to get? I don’t think I’ve ever been called that.” He suddenly felt her shift, and within seconds she was on top of him, straddling him. With one swift move, she lifted her nightgown over her head and threw it off the bed. His eyes took her in, all of her gorgeous nakedness, her silken skin, her curves. He stared at her round twin globes that would fit perfectly into his palms.

Slowly Samson took her face into both hands and pulled her down to him. “I would have kept to my word, but you leave me no choice.” He captured her mouth, devouring her. He was starved, starved for her taste. For a second he pulled back. “And I want you to know, no more sex: from now on, we make love.” It was important to him to make that distinction. He was done with mindless sex. He wanted a different kind of intimacy with her. All he wanted now was to show her what he felt for her, to win her heart and her trust so that soon he could tell her the last of his secrets and reveal his true identity.

Samson’s lips went back to kiss her, and if Delilah had ever had any doubts about him, he just kissed them away. This man had opened up to her like no other man ever had, and even though she had circumvented his efforts to keep to his promise of not touching her, she had seen the sincerity in him in trying to keep his promise. It was all she needed to know. There was no need to waste the night—or rather the day—without touching. There was only one place she wanted him right now, and it was inside of her, captured between her thighs. For how ever long she could keep him there.

His kiss was more tender than it had ever been before. She could feel his hunger and need beneath it, just barely kept in check, ready to break to the surface. But still, he overwhelmed her with his tenderness, with the intimate caress his tongue unleashed on her mouth. His fingers framed her face, softly stroking her skin and teasing her sensitive neck as if he couldn’t bear to let go of her face.

There was longing and promise in his kiss, as if he’d opened his heart and invited her in. And there was something else she hadn’t felt before: the feeling that he needed her, not to satisfy his carnal need, but to fulfill his emotional need. She responded to him with her own brand of passion and need. Her head filled with images of bliss, of the two of them dancing in the sun, in a sea of flowers.

Samson pulled back and suddenly gave her a short break to breathe. “I can’t get enough of you. Don’t leave on Wednesday.”

“But, I have to go back when the audit is done.” Her protest was weak. She didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t just stay either. She had a life in New York, well, she had an apartment. “I have no reason to …” A rented apartment. Really just a place where she kept her belongings. A tiny place, something her German ancestors would call a Wohnklo, a tiny studio with an equally tiny bathroom.

“I can give you a hundred reasons to stay.” He took her upper lip between his and sucked gently. “That’s one.” His tongue swept over her lips. “Here’s another. We’ll talk about it tonight. But right now …”

He flipped her masterfully and brought her underneath him, gazing into her eyes for a long moment.

Samson took what was his, and Delilah surrendered to his mouth, his tongue, his hands, and his body. His lovemaking was more tender than he thought he’d ever be capable of. There was no rush to join his body with hers. They would have plenty of time to explore each other.

This time all he wanted was to feel her, experience her body’s heat, feel her heart beat against his lips with an excited rhythm. Under his hands and his mouth, he felt her come alive and open up.

Delilah arched toward him every time his hands stroked from her neck down to her navel. Like Magellan, he circled her breasts and sailed South, only to detour before reaching the South Pole. He navigated the small channel between her breasts like the Bosphorus, not being able to decide whether to lavish his attention first on Europe or on Asia. Both looked equally enticing.

What perfect mountains with rock-hard peaks. His tongue lapped at her engorged tips teasing a strangled moan from her throat.

“Sweetness, I haven’t even started yet.”

Her breath caught. “Oh, mercy.”

Mercy wasn’t what he had in mind. No, he was headed for the lush canopy further South which sheltered a treasure beneath—one he was determined to reacquaint himself with.

His searching fingers found the hooded nub and brushed over it. Delilah’s pelvis bucked toward him instantly, pushing his hand onto her moist petals. Unable to resist, he slipped his finger into her welcoming sheath.

“I want you now.”

Samson had never heard her voice with such a husky undertone.

“You have me.” He underscored his statement by plunging his finger deep into her. She had no idea how she owned him – body and soul. He would tell her, soon.

The urging of her body became more intense, her hips moving in synch with his hand, riding him, like he knew she wanted to do with his cock. And she could ride him whenever she wanted to: he would never be able to deny her.

With slow movements, Samson eased himself above her, centering his aching cock. And inch by inch he descended until he was deeply lodged inside her. Every thrust made their joining deeper, connected their bodies more until they moved as one.

They weren’t only connected by his erection impaling her, but also by their legs entangled, their arms intertwined, their lips merged. Her body fitted perfectly to his, as if someone in heaven had molded her for him.

Samson had never felt closer to any woman than to Delilah at that moment. He could feel as her excitement built, as her pelvis started grinding against him more urgently. He responded in kind, moving in the rhythm she demanded. He realized how it filled him with joy, knowing he could pleasure her.

Samson held himself right at the edge, denying his release until he could be sure she was close. Her urgency took over, demanding he’d thrust harder and deeper, and he complied all too willingly despite the strength it cost him to hold back his own climax.

“Don’t stop.” Her wish was his command.

“Not a chance.”

Her heels around his backside dug in deeper, and her fingernails on his back would have drawn blood if he’d had the fragile skin of a human. Then her orgasm hit him—as if her body was about to shatter into a million pieces. And like a row of dominos it reached him, taking him with her, igniting his own release, making him spread his seed in her.

But it wasn’t over. He kept moving inside her, rocking back and forth, kissing her lips, holding her until he felt the last of her spasms subside.

As he locked eyes with her, he couldn’t speak. And didn’t want to break the magical moment of complete and utter bliss. He rolled to the side, taking her with him, unable to release her from his embrace, unwilling to leave her body.

When he finally spoke, his voice echoed in his ears: hoarse, colored by passion and desire, and something else he hadn’t felt in a long time—affection.

“I can give you a million reasons not to leave.”

And he would draw on every single one to convince her to stay.