“Noah.”
He smiled at the warmth filling him at the sound of Olivia’s voice before he turned to find her standing a few feet away. He hit the garage door button and the rattling of chains echoed around him while he approached her. “Is everyone gone?”
She nodded. Her twinkling eyes focused on him.
When he stopped in front of her, he tucked her hair behind her ear. “I guess you’re wondering why I did all this.”
She gave a soft snort. “Wondering might not be a strong enough word.”
Emotion tightened his throat as he dragged his knuckles across her soft cheek. “I promised you that I would be gentle with your heart. This is my way of being gentle.” He paused to collect his thoughts, knowing he had to get this right and how important this was for them. “These past days without you have been some of my darkest. But I’m equally aware of what stands between us being together. Some obstacles I can take away. Some I can’t. This is one obstacle that I could remove.” Her brows furrowed in confusion, so he hastily added, “I know you think I fear commitment but that’s not true.” He reached down and twined his fingers with hers, finally letting go of the tension in his chest. “Commitment is something I’m cautious with. I saw my mother live a life where she missed her husband greatly because he wasn’t there. I never wanted to do that to anyone. To cause that type of pain.” With his free hand, he trailed his knuckles over her soft cheek again, mesmerized by how she always leaned into him. “But a photography career, especially street photography, is something you can do on the road.”
She blinked, surprise glistening in her eyes. “Wait. You arranged this show for me so that I will have a job where I can travel?”
He nodded. “Now you can travel with me, and I won’t worry that I’m leaving you behind and hurting you.” When she looked even more surprised, he chuckled. “I like to think that I killed two birds with one stone. Your dream happened to mold very nicely with one of the obstacles in our way.” He closed the distance between them, sliding his hand possessively across the small of her back. “You have the talent. I had the connections that you needed to be discovered.”
She began to frown. “Is Henry only interested in me—”
Noah placed a finger over her lips. “I believe in your talent, Olivia. I never asked anyone to come tonight as a favor to me. I told Henry he would want to see your work, and as far as I was concerned, you gave him a run for his money.”
Her brows rose. “You said that?”
“I said that.” He nodded.
Her chin quivered, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve never had anyone do anything this nice for me, Noah. Not ever. How am I going to repay you?”
“You only need to see that you already have.” His hands came to her face and he held her tightly, as close as he could get. “I have the career. My dreams have already been fulfilled. But you…” His voice naturally deepened with emotion, “…you have shown me in—a matter of days—all that I was missing. True affection. I can never repay that either.”
She placed her hands over his, a tear running down her cheek. “I was scared. I ran from you.”
“And rightly so.” He drew in a long deep breath before addressing her again. “As your dominant, it was my duty to you to ensure when you were with me you were safe. Protected, even. And that by the end of our time together, you left with all that you needed from me and more. But in that duty, all I saw was you.” Her tears spilled over his fingers, making him get even closer. “From day one, you made things less about my duty to you as your dominant and more about my wanting you as a man. In six days, you managed to obliterate the world I thought I couldn’t live without.”
She blinked, causing more tears to roll down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have been afraid. I should have stayed put, not run. I should have followed my heart and not my head.”
He kissed one cheek, wiping away the tears, then kissed the other. “I should have chased after you.”
“You did now.”
He gathered her in his arm
s, staring down into those captivating eyes. “I did now.” She molded against him and he locked his arms around her, holding her tight. “I’m committed to only you, Olivia Watts. I want this. I want us.” He leaned down and inhaled Olivia’s scent. Sweet and pure and perfect. “From the day I met you, I broke every single rule I had put in place. But now, you need to break your rules.”
She stood on her tiptoes, getting closer to his mouth. “What rules?”
He brushed his lips across hers. “You need to risk your heart. No matter how you weigh it, being with me is a risk for you. It’s not a perfect situation. I’m not a perfect man. I have a terrible track record with relationships. I may disappoint you. I may fail to live up to what I’m promising. And let’s not forget, you only got to know me for a week. Logic tells us this shouldn’t work. It’s too fast. It’s too serious.” Again, he slid his lips across hers. “Knowing all of that, will you take the risk and be mine?”
Her breath hitched and then suddenly she was in his arms kissing him madly. He caught up in a moment and took control of her mouth, until she was moaning and melting beneath him.
Many minutes later, he broke away, as breathless as her. “I take it that’s a yes,” he said.
“It’s a yes,” she replied, with hot emotion in her eyes. “It’s a hell-yes.” With frantic shaky hands she opened his belt. “I need you, Noah.” She shoved his pants to his knees.
Not that he was against the idea, hot and hard and ready to claim her, but…“You do realize anyone could walk back here at any moment?”
Her smile was pure sex. “Let them walk in. It’ll be the grand finale to the most amazing show.”
He grinned. Maybe this would be where they began—in a final risky situation to show the universe they would live on their terms. Not on his rules. Not on her rules. But on their rules.
Her breath grew raspy when he slid his hand up her skirt until he found her hot slit. “Is this where you want me, Olivia?”