Forever (Betrothed 7)

But he moaned back like he had.

He started to lower me to the couch, moving on top of me so he could pin me to the cushions below. His body turned to one side so he could keep the rest of his weight off me while one hand was still buried in my hair. The other slid under my shirt and felt the skin of my belly, gripping my hip and squeezing me.

My arm hooked under his shoulder, and I scooped him closer to me, my nails clawing at his back even though he wasn’t inside me. The kiss was better than sex, better than any experience I had ever had with another man. It was because I was in love with a man who was in love with me.

I knew he would never hurt me. He wouldn’t lie to me. He would never be unfaithful.

Because he was the one.

I slowed our kisses down until they came to a standstill. I wanted to kiss him forever, but I also wanted to stop, wanted to pause to appreciate the moment.

His eyes looked into mine, eagerness in his gaze.

“I love you…” It was the first time I’d said the words without being afraid of what he would say back. There was no guilt as the words escaped my lips into the air, into the world. My hand moved to the back of his neck, and I held him there, seeing those green eyes stare back into mine.

His fingers slid down from my hair until he cupped my cheek. Without blinking, without hesitating, he looked deep into my gaze and said it back. “I love you too, Annabella.”

I lay in bed beside him, my hand resting on his hard chest as it gently rose with his breathing. He was dead asleep, clueless to the morning light creeping through the cracks in the curtains and slowly reaching closer to the bed. The sunlight hit our feet, but the heat wasn’t enough to stir him from sleep.

I was wide awake because I couldn’t sleep. Not because I wasn’t tired. Not because I was uneasy. I was just happy, being there with him, sleeping in that big bed the way I used. All we’d done was make out on the couch last night because I wasn’t ready to jump into a deeply physical relationship, but it was still a level of intimacy I hadn’t had with Liam once our relationship turned sour.

It was never magical like that.

Damien’s alarm went off, beeping loudly.

He groaned and reached for the phone, swiping on the screen so the obnoxious noise would end. His fingers dove into his hair, and he sighed as the morning greeted him unkindly. His head turned back to me, and his sleepy eyes found mine. When he realized I was really there beside him, that the memory of last night wasn’t just in his head, his arm pulled me tighter, and his other hand cupped my face as he kissed me on the forehead.

Wow, that was nice.

He took a deep breath as he touched me, as he woke up to the feeling of my body in his arms. “You’re wide awake.”

“I’ve been awake for a few hours.”

“And you just lay there? You didn’t go down and ask Patricia to make you breakfast?”

My hand rubbed his chest. “Why would I want breakfast when I can have you?”

He smiled slightly. “Good answer.” He rolled on top of me, his large mass making me sink into the bed. Playfully, he grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them to the sheets before he leaned down and kissed me on the mouth.

I melted like a piece of chocolate over a flame.

His hand slid into my hair as he embraced me, his dick hard through his boxers as he held me close. He gently pressed it against me on purpose, as if he wanted me to know that I was the reason he was this way.

Oh, I knew.

When he broke our kiss, he gave me a gentle rub of his nose before he got off me. He stood next to the nightstand, placing his arms over his head as he stretched. His muscles were chiseled and strong, and his boxers hung low on his hips because his big dick was dragging them down. “I’m gonna get in the shower.”

“Do you have to go to work today?” I wanted to stay home with him all day, right here in this big bed.

He turned back around, his abs endless rivers of muscles. “Yes. But I’m yours after work.”

I pouted my lips.

He smiled slightly. “If I didn’t have an important meeting, I would blow it off. I’d probably quit my job on the spot if Hades would let me.” He came back to the bed and kissed me once again before he walked into the shower. “But I’ll make it up to you tonight.”