To Have and to Hold
That’s when I hear it—a sniffle. Appraising her face, there it is. Scarlett is crying. Sitting up, I hurry to pull her into my arms, cupping her face and looking her over, seeing if she’s hurt. When I see that’s not the case, I question her. “Was this too soon? Baby, we don’t have to do this. It’s okay. We can when you’re ready.”
Scarlett doesn’t answer. Instead, she drops her head into my neck and cries, cursing to herself. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Scarlett, talk to me.” Grabbing her with force, I make her straddle me, and I take her neck possessively like I always do.
“No, I’m stupid.”
“Damn it, baby, what?” I growl, and this gets her to finally meet my gaze.
“I… I love you, and I’ve never been loved before, and now here I am, loving a man who can’t possibly love—”
“Love you back?” I finish for her. Oh, how fucking wrong this gorgeous creature is. Leaning over, I reach with one hand into my nightstand, pull out lubrication, and she just watches me, clearly taken aback that I haven’t responded.
“Gideon? Say something, please.”
I ignore her, taking off the cap and pouring lubricant onto the head of my cock, throwing the open bottle on the ground, not caring if it makes a mess. I grab my cock and groan, spreading the lubricant up and down my shaft.
As I grab her hips, she cries out, “Gideon, wait!”
Without giving it another moment of thought, I lock eyes on her and glide her onto my shaft, breaking her barrier as she screams. When she’s planted, and I’ve now broken into my woman, I use a free hand to grab her chin and bring her attention back to me.
“I love you. I love you. I fucking love you, Scarlett.” She needed to know it, and now she does. I loved her from day one, and now she’s claimed, owned, and I promise she is now irrevocably mine. I fill her with me and bind us forever.
….
“Oh fuck!” I come out of the flashback, my eyes shooting to her picture from that night, and I come, hot spurts spilling over and down my knuckles.
“Scarlett, baby. Scarlett,” I groan through my ecstasy.
When my breathing settles and my rational brain comes back to the forefront, I clean myself up and click the button to Jessica’s phone at the front desk.
“Yes, Dr. Pierce?”
“Cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. I’m leaving.”
Before she can reply, I hang up and stand, taking off my white coat. I grab my keys and phone, and I head for the door.
Scarlett is going to tell me what’s wrong, and I’m going to remind her that she’s mine and reclaim her as my wife and my possession.
“No more running from me, baby.”
Chapter 5
Scarlett
I left his office and went home to pack up the kids’ things for the night, went grocery shopping, then picked up the kids. I’m moving on autopilot, my mind still obsessing over Jessica, the newest roadblock in my marriage. A roadblock I placed there all on my own with my insecurities. But just like I’ve been since day one of our relationship, I was intimidated by Gideon, afraid of his rugged beauty and the female attention that comes along with it.
Jessica—that scheming woman clearly has an agenda. Call it a sixth sense, but I practically felt it, tasted it, and smelled it when I walked into the waiting room. She wanted what was mine, and she didn’t care that I was her own roadblock. She would be willing to tear it down, bulldoze through it to claim my husband, and I can’t even blame her. Part of me believes I would do the same thing if I were in her shoes. Gideon isn’t just a man you meet and lust over. He leaves an invading and lasting impression on your mind and your desire forever.
The kids and I are at the kitchen table working on homework and crafts before I’m supposed to drop them at Rose’s house. Lilac is talking my ear off like always, and Junior pays close attention to the project at hand, making sure it is perfect. We jinxed our boy when we named him Gideon Jr., because he is just like his father—from his looks to his need to always have everything even, symmetric, and perfectly flawless.
I watch them both work away, and I enjoy the view. This life was always what I wanted and never thought I would have, especially in the way I received it. Gideon was a force when we met, taking us from zero to sixty in a matter of months, and he captivated me. Claiming me as his. I still went to school, got my degree in business as I always hoped. But I discovered being a stay-at-home mom filled my soul like nothing else. Yet these past few years, there’s been a void I can’t place, and knowing Gideon, he can’t place it either; otherwise, he would’ve fixed it by now.