Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I grab my purse and sling it over my shoulder. Then I collect my suitcase and head toward the door. The suitcase rolls along behind me, the wheels clattering softly against the floor. I reach for the door handle, but before I can pull it open, it swings inward.
Rhett stands there, and my heart slams to a stop. He looks exhausted, his hair slightly mussed, and his shoulders slumped. His eyes are downcast, and for a moment, I think he’s disappointed, or worse, indifferent, but then he sees me, and his face lights up, as relief washes over him in a visible rush.
“Oh, thank God,” he breathes, stepping toward me. “I came from the airport. I thought I missed you.”
I blink, caught off guard. I step aside and let him in, closing the door and turning to face him once more.
“You … you were at the airport? Not the wedding?”
He nods, stepping closer to me, his hands reaching out but then hesitating in the air between us before dropping back down to his sides. “Yes. I went there first, thinking that’s where you would be. I wanted to beg you not to go. I can do that here instead. Don’t go, Pippa. Please. Stay. We’ll work it out. We’ve got something good going.”
“It’s not as dramatic when you’re running through an airport, though,” I say.
He grins, and I grin back.
“I love you,” he says softly. His voice is almost a whisper, yet there’s a firmness in his tone that leaves no room for doubt. “I’ve loved you for longer than I realized, and I don’t want you to leave. Not now, not ever.”
The words hit me like a tidal wave, sweeping away the last of my fears, my hesitations, and self-doubt. Without thinking, I step forward and throw my arms around him.
“I love you too,” I murmur against his chest. The words taste like freedom and warmth and relief all at once.
He smiles, soft and gentle, as his arms wrap tightly around me, holding me so close I can hear his heartbeat. I feel safe, understood, and cherished in a way I never thought I would. He lifts my chin, and our lips meet in a kiss that’s tender and electric, affirming everything we’ve felt but couldn’t say.
When we break apart, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out my ring. Strange how I automatically think of it as mine. My fingers brush against it, hesitating, and he shakes his head with a small laugh, the tension and worry fading from his eyes.
“It was never just on loan,” he confesses sheepishly, slipping it onto my finger with a reverence that makes my heart ache. “I bought it. It’s yours. It’s always been yours.”
I press my hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath the palm of my hand. The room feels warm, the air thick with our emotions. And then, almost instinctively, we move toward the stairs. By the time we reach them, we are practically running and shedding our clothes as we go. We are naked by the time we tumble onto Rhett’s bed – or maybe now it’s our bed.
We kiss with a deep hunger, but there’s no rush now, just a tender, deliberate intimacy that’s more than physical. It’s the expression of love, trust, and surrender. Every kiss, every touch is soft and careful, filled with the kind of passion that stems from deep connection, from knowing and being known.
We make love in a quiet, tender rhythm, the world outside ceasing to exist as Rhett makes me come hard. I cling to him. I never want this to end. We keep moving together, our bodies in perfect sync as we roll and tussle, first him on top and then me and then him again. I am on top when Rhett climaxes. He holds my hips, pinning me in place as his big, thick cock goes wild inside of me. I clench myself around him, and he calls out my name. Finally, when we are done, I lie down beside him, and we catch our breath.
There’s love and wonder in our whispered words, warmth in our shared smiles, and a sense of rightness that fills every corner of the room. For the first time in perhaps forever, I feel completely at home, completely myself, and completely loved.
Every time I move my hand, the ring glints on my finger, and I almost want to pinch myself to make sure it’s real. But it is. I know it is. And once I have accepted that much, I realize that the fears, the humiliations, the doubts, they all seem trivial now. What matters is that Rhett and I are together, finally, and we are unguarded and honest. I tell him about Max’s offer, and he smiles.
“Do you want to do it?”