The sheets felt cold, and the rhythmic breathing I was used to hearing was gone.

I reached over to Conway’s side of the bed, looking for the chiseled physique that kept me warm through the night. I searched for that strong heartbeat, that hard body that could protect me from any storm.

But he was gone.

I opened my eyes and saw the empty spot beside me. I sat up and looked around, squinting in the darkness while I was still half asleep. I ran my fingers through my hair and did the only thing that made sense at the time. “Conway?”

No answer.

I got out of bed and checked the bathroom. Then I went into the living room, expecting to see him sitting on the couch drinking scotch. But he wasn’t there either. His wallet and keys were gone, so I assumed he’d driven somewhere.

Except it was four in the morning.

Where would he go at four in the morning?

The door opened, and Conway stepped inside, dressed in a black suit with a matching tie. He looked crisp enough for a black-tie event. My eyes immediately looked at his hair, seeing it was perfectly styled like always, so a woman hadn’t run her fingers through his strands. My eyes went to his collar next, looking for lipstick marks.

I hated feeling like this.

He stilled when he noticed me standing there. His pupils dilated slightly in surprise before he continued his movements. He set his phone, wallet, and keys on the table, then stripped off his jacket. “Muse, why are you awake?”

“Why are you awake?” I countered. “And where were you?” I flipped on the light and immediately looked at his neck, wondering if I would see bright red lipstick where a woman had kissed him. He told me we were committed now, but I couldn’t think of any other reason why he was out in the middle of the night.

His eyes narrowed threateningly as he watched me stare at his neck. His anger filled the room noticeably, growing heavy in the air and entering my lungs. He didn’t need to say a single word to express his ferocity. “Don’t fucking look at me like that.”

“I can look at you however I want,” I snapped. “Who sneaks off in the middle of the night like that?”

“My business is none of your concern.”

“It is when you’re lying to me.”

He stepped around me and tossed his jacket onto the chair. “I may be an asshole, but I’m not a liar.” He turned back around and gave me a cold look. “I didn’t sneak off to fuck some woman. Give me more credit than that.”

“You lie to your whole family all the time. You look them in the eye and pretend this is real.” My jealousy took the reins and steered me into an emotional meltdown. The idea of him being with another woman always bothered me, but now it killed me.

Now his look was completely different than it’d ever been before. He’d never looked so angry, so terrifying. “Don’t. Fucking. Go. There.”

“Then don’t lie to me. Don’t tell me it’s just you and me if it’s not.”

“It is just you and me,” he snapped. “Just because I had to leave in the middle of the night doesn’t mean I was sneaking around. Now get the fuck out of my room.”

“Our room.” I crossed my arms over my chest and planted my feet. “What were you doing?”

He walked into the bedroom and ignored me. “I said, get out.” He slammed the door behind him, making the walls rattle with the force.

I stayed rooted to the spot where I stood, breathing through the pain in my chest. I’d been half asleep through most of that conversation, but now I was wide awake. Maybe it was wrong of me to accuse him of sneaking around, but I’d seen those lipstick marks on his neck too many times. If he’d given me a better explanation of what he was doing, perhaps I wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

But regardless, I was pissed.

I had breakfast alone, then worked in the stables. But no amount of hard work could make me sweat out my anger. I was angry with Conway, and I was even angrier that he hadn’t apologized.

He’d kicked me out of my own room.

After working all day, I headed back to my old bedroom and showered. It was seven in the evening, and I was starving because I’d skipped lunch. After being on my feet all day, my stomach growled, and my limbs felt weak. But I refused to eat with Conway, so I asked Dante to bring dinner to me.

When he set up two place settings at my table, I knew I wouldn’t be dining alone.

Shit.

Conway walked in a moment later, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. It didn’t matter how handsome he looked, how nice his chiseled face appeared after he shaved. I was still pissed at him, still suspicious of him. Maybe I jumped to conclusions, but he gave me a reason to. He stared at me coldly as he sat across from me and dropped his napkin onto his lap.

Dante removed the stainless-steel lids from our plates, then left us alone to dine in my old bedroom.

Conway picked up his utensils and cut into his chicken, lowering his gaze to follow his movements. He didn’t pretend everything was normal, but he didn’t address the issue that was silently throbbing between us.

I didn’t bother asking him to leave. This was his house, and despite my anger, he had all the power. All I could do was walk out myself, but I was way too hungry for that. My conversation with Andrew Lexington came back to me. He offered me a way out, a way to pay back Conway along with my other debts. I could start over and be a free woman once more. I rejected the idea instantly because I couldn’t picture walking away from Conway.

But now, I was having second thoughts.

“How’s your dinner?” he asked before he took a bite.

I stared at him incredulously. “We’re just going to pretend last night didn’t happen?”

“No.” He drank his scotch. “But I assumed we would move past it.”

“So basically…pretend it didn’t happen?” I snapped.

He dropped his utensils onto his plate and stared me down coldly. “What do you want to talk about? No, I wasn’t out with another woman. This is a perfect opportunity for you to apologize to me for the accusation.”

“Apologize?” The word could barely escape my throat because it felt so wrong. “You kicked me out of my own room.”

“And I would do it again in a heartbeat. No one speaks to me that way.”

“Except the woman you’re living with. Yes, I will speak to you however I want. I will say the things you need to hear because I’m not a servant or an employee. I’m your woman—and I’ve earned the right.”

Slowly, his angry expression simmered down. His eyes weren’t so icy, his demeanor wasn’t so cold.

“Tell me why you left in the middle of the night.”

“Work.”

“What kind of work would be so important?”

He drank his scotch again, his throat shifting as he swallowed. “Muse, you need to trust me.”

“Why should I? You’ve lied to me before.”

He leaned forward over the table. “You know why I lied. It wasn’t because I was trying to be deceitful.”

“Actually, that was exactly what you were doing.”

His eyes narrowed again. “You don’t need to worry about what I was doing last night. If I wanted to get laid, I would just roll you over and take you in the middle of the night. Why the fuck would I want someone else when I have you? Why would I invite you into my bedroom if I didn’t want you every single night? Stop overreacting and think logically for a second. You’re smarter than that, Muse. I know you are.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overreacting. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t tell me what you were doing.”

“I will—just not right now.”

“Why not?” I demanded.

“Because I’m not ready to.”

I wanted to press him, but I knew it wouldn’t get me anywhere. I was still upset about the whole thing, but I believed him. I believed he hadn’t been sneaking around. I believed he was a good man and wouldn’t do that to me. He had no reason to lie about his faithfulness because he could still fuck me regardless. There was no reason for him to be dishonest. “Don’t expect me to apologize for what I said last night.”

He picked up his utensils once more. “Don’t expect an apology from me either.”

We returned to eating our dinner, the tension as heavy as it was before. All we did was make eye contact while we enjoyed our meal. There was no conversation we could possibly have to fill the silence.

So, I stared at him.

And he stared back.

I got ready for bed, then pulled back the sheets on my old bed. I hadn’t been sleeping with Conway long, but I was already used to it. He guarded me from my nightmares, kept me warm in the middle of the night, and protected me from the monsters lurking around the property.

Now I didn’t want to sleep alone.

Even though I was still angry with him, I preferred to sleep beside him than across the hallway.

My bedroom door opened, and Conway appeared in just his sweatpants. They hung low on his hips, revealing the deep V that extended from his waist. His flat stomach was chiseled with riverbeds and mounds. He was a strong man, a powerhouse of lean muscle and tanned skin. “Muse, get your ass in here.” He kept his hand on the doorknob, his presence filling the room. Then he dropped it and turned away. “Don’t make me ask you twice.” He left the bedroom and headed down the hall.

I could fight him just for the sake of it, but I didn’t want to. I was tired, and honestly, horny. Now, I was used to getting sex from him every single night. It was a routine we had, sex and then sleep. How would I be able to sleep without his come between my legs?

I left my bedroom and walked into his. He was already in bed with the sheets pulled up to his waist. He was scrolling through his phone, looking at emails right before bed. His eyes didn’t shift my way when I walked inside. He didn’t even watch me undress.

I got under the covers beside him, naked because I knew what was coming next.

He set his phone on the nightstand, then lay there, one arm behind his head with his eyes closed.

And he just kept lying there.

He didn’t crawl on top of me for sex. He didn’t try to kiss me. And he didn’t command me to get on top of him.

He did nothing.

Maybe he was still upset with me or assumed I was upset with him. I closed my eyes and stuck to my side of the bed, waiting for sleep to overtake me. But I continued to lie there without drifting off.

I couldn’t stop thinking about his sweaty chest rubbing against mine, his big cock inside me and covered with my arousal. Images flashed across my mind, and it was all I could handle. It made my body temperature rise, made my nipples harden against the sheet.

I knew he was still awake because his breathing hadn’t changed. Maybe he was waiting it out, seeing if I would crack before he would.

I didn’t care about winning or losing.

I just cared about getting laid.

I pulled the sheets back and moved on top of him, my legs straddling his hips and my pussy pressing against his hard cock.

His hands immediately went to my waist, and he grinned against my mouth when I kissed him. “I knew you wanted me as much as I wanted you.”

“Stop talking.” I didn’t want his words. I wanted his kiss, that passionate embrace that made me shake all over. My spine tightened in response, and I felt my pussy clench even though he wasn’t inside me yet.

He rolled me onto my back, then positioned himself between my legs. “Tell me you want me.”

My hands ran up his back and into his hair. “You know I do.”

His arms pinned my knees back, and he pressed his thick crown inside me. He held his face above mine, his lips almost close enough to touch. “Tell me you want me all to yourself.”

I grabbed his hips and yanked him inside me, pulling that long and thick cock deep between my legs. “You’re mine, Conway. I don’t want to share.”

He growled against my mouth before he started to thrust. “Muse…”

“I can’t sleep without your come inside me.”

“Fuck.” He locked his gaze on to mine, his arousal so hot it burned me. “You’re gonna get a lot of it tonight.”

I didn’t wake up early the next morning to get to work because I went to bed so late. Conway and I had the longest session we’d ever had, our first night of make-up sex. Neither one of us apologized to the other, but we found our way back to each other.

I still wondered what he’d been doing, but he said he would tell me, so I just had to be patient.

I woke and looked out the window to see the bright sun covering the earth. The grass looked so vibrantly green, and the horses in the pasture looked beautiful under the sunlight. My eyes moved to the terrace, where I spotted Conway sitting with his breakfast. The newspaper was open in his lap as he rested his elbows on the armrests of the cast-iron chair. His coffee sat on the saucer, and his egg white omelet was half eaten.

My first urge was to go to him, but then I decided to stay where I was. The view was perfect. The sun hit his chiseled features perfectly. His tanned skin was beautiful, and it complemented his dark hair and even darker expression. His eyes were the gateway to his kind soul, to the man underneath the monster.

I could stare at him all day.

I didn’t know how things had changed so much. I came here as a woman with no freedom, but now I didn’t even want that freedom anymore. When I didn’t get sex, I demanded it. This man claimed my innocence, but now I wanted him to have the rest of me. I needed to listen to his deep breathing beside me in order to sleep, and anytime he was gone, I counted down the minutes until he returned.

When did everything change?

My phone rang on the bedside table.

My mind immediately went to Andrew Lexington. It’d only been a few days since our last conversation, so it couldn’t be him, but so far, he was the only person in the world to ever call me on that phone. I stared at the number on the screen and recognized it.

It was him.

I took a breath before I answered the call. I continued to stand at the window in Conway’s t-shirt, my bottoms still on the bedroom floor. My eyes moved to Conway on the patio. He lifted his mug without taking his eyes off his paper and took a drink. “Hello, Mr. Lexington.”

“Hello, Sapphire. Please call me Andrew.”

“Alright. Hi, Andrew. I thought I wouldn’t hear from you for a few more days.”

“Ironic,” he said. “I thought I would hear from you sooner. Just wanted to pick your brain and see what you’re thinking.”

I watched Conway from my bird’s-eye view, seeing the corded veins of his forearms. His hair was still wet and messy, obviously because he must have hopped out of the pool just a few minutes ago. I’d never seen a more beautiful man in my life. Even when he did nothing at all, he was gorgeous. A part of me wanted to walk down there and straddle his hips right under the sun.

I knew I wasn’t thinking logically. I was thinking with my lust, my attraction to this man. Andrew was offering me a way out, a way to fix all my problems. I’d have to be a model again, back to never eating and being nearly naked for strangers. But at least I’d make an honest living. And at least I would have the freedom to do what I wanted. Not to mention, I would be a very wealthy woman.

But I loved being here.

I loved Conway’s home. I loved his horses. I loved sharing my bed with him every night. Even if our relationship wasn’t real, it felt like it meant something.

Not to mention, I’d never felt safer in my entire life.

But it wasn’t real. He didn’t love me. I would never be his girlfriend. He would use me until he got bored with me. Once the inspiration ran out, he would dump me on the side of the road and find the next woman who pleased him. It didn’t matter how much he aged. The older a man got, the more desirable he was. For me, time wasn’t on my side.

It would be stupid not to take the deal.

Absolutely idiotic.

But I still didn’t want to. “I don’t think so, Andrew. I’m very flattered by your offer—”

“Two hundred and fifty million.”

My mouth remained open as I heard the offer echo in my mind. He’d just added another fifty million to the pot. How could I possibly be worth that much? “Andrew, I’m a very confident woman, but I can’t fathom why you think I’m worth that much.”

“Trust me, you are.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said with a chuckle.

“Take the deal, sweetheart. Any other woman on the planet would take it.”

Yes, I know. And they’d be smart to. “It’s not about the money.”

“Three hundred.”

Jesus Christ. That would leave me with two hundred million dollars for myself.

“Think about it. Please. I’m willing to do anything to make this deal happen.”

“Uh…” Now I couldn’t say no. But I couldn’t say yes either.

“I’ll call back in a few days. Just think about how much your life would change. You would be the wealthiest model on the planet. Not only would you have fame and glory but also respect. Think about it, Sapphire.” He hung up, leaving nothing but silence on the other end of the line.

I crossed my arms over my chest with the phone clutched in my fingertips. My eyes returned to Conway, who was staring across his property with a dreamy look in his eyes. He had no idea what was going on upstairs.

Now I was even more confused than before.

I showered after working in the stables all day. It was particularly humid that day, so sweat was smeared between my breasts and along the back of my neck. No amount of ice water could keep me cool, so when I’d finally walked into the air-conditioned house, relief had washed over me.

I stepped out of the shower and dried my hair, expecting to have dinner in our bedroom or in the dining room. I’d been thinking about my conversation with Andrew all day, trying to wrap my mind around that kind of money.

It was so much.

More than I could even fathom.

Even if I had that kind of money, what would I do with it? Conway was my only friend in the entire world, so he was the person I would turn to for advice. As a courtesy, I should talk to him about what Andrew offered me before I took it. He had the right to know what was going on. And he might know something that I didn’t. Maybe Andrew was a bad man who wouldn’t treat me right.

Conway was the only man I trusted.

Conway appeared in the reflection of the bathroom mirror, his shirt and jeans gone. He stood in just his boxers, muscular and ripped. His eyes were on me, green and intense, burning a hole into me. He slowly approached me until his chest was against my back. Gripping my shoulders, he then pressed a small kiss to my neck, the kind of kiss he used to give me back when we hardly knew each other. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

“I have dinner with you every night.”

“But this time, we’re going out. Your dress is on the bed.”

I held his gaze in the mirror, my reflection showing my surprise. “We’re going out to eat?”

He nodded.

“Out of the house?” I asked incredulously.

He nodded again.

“We never leave the house.” The only time we did was when he had to work in Milan, and most of the time, he didn’t bring me along. One of the rare times we’d left was when we visited his parents in southern Italy.

A handsome grin stretched across his face. “I’m taking you somewhere nice here in Verona.”

“Wow…” I would finally get to see the city up close. I would finally see the Italian architecture and the historical footprint of this ancient city. Only in my wildest dreams had I thought I would ever be able to go sightseeing across Italy. But now, I actually could. When I wandered through the towns with just my backpack across my shoulders… Well, that was different. I slept under the stars and begged for food. It wasn’t exactly fun. “I’m excited.”

He kissed my shoulder again. “Be ready in thirty minutes.”

The city of Verona was just a ten-minute drive from home. At sunset, it was beautiful. The unique rooftops and the winding river that moved through it made it prettier than a picture. The cobblestone streets and the architecture made it far more beautiful than any photograph could ever capture.

Conway found a parking spot, and then we walked across the street to the restaurant. He moved his arm around my waist as he guided me forward, wearing jeans and a collared shirt with the top button opened. Sunglasses were still on his nose, but once we approached the restaurant, he tucked them into his shirt.

Conway spoke to the host in Italian. It was one of the rare times I’d heard him speak his native tongue. When he was around me, he always used English. He used English at work too, probably because a lot of the models were from America.

We were guided to a table on the patio. A white candle was lit on the table, and it was close enough to the street that we could see other people walk by. But I noticed there were no other guests in the sectioned-off area. We were the only people there.

Conway pulled out my chair for me just as he did in front of his parents. Then he sat across from me and set his sunglasses on the table. His broad shoulders stretched his collared shirt, and the veins in his neck were beautiful and noticeable. Everything about him was perfect, from pretty eyes to his rugged jawline. He examined the wine menu, then set it aside, making his selection within ten seconds. Afterward, he turned to his menu.

I finally tore my gaze away from his good looks and stared at the menu, which was completely in Italian.

“Would you like me to pick something out for you?”

“Please. I trust your tastes.”

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile, but he didn’t lift his gaze from his menu. He looked at it for a moment longer before he set it down.

As if the waiter had been waiting for this very moment, he immediately appeared at Conway’s side.

Conway ordered a bottle of wine for the table and ordered our entrees, speaking Italian for the entire conversation.

It was sexy to listen to.

The waiter disappeared with the menus, and we were alone together, sitting under the white lights of the patio while the other customers were inside.

“I’m surprised no one else wants to sit out here.”

“I booked the patio.” He grabbed his glass of wine that had been delivered and took a drink.

“You booked it all for yourself?”

“And you.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Conway.”

“I did,” he said quietly. “I don’t like people.”

His words immediately made me smile. “So, you don’t like me?”

“You aren’t people.”

“Because I’m your property?” I teased.

“No.” He rested his forearms on the table with his hands held together. “Because you’re my muse. You exist on a pedestal. Everyone else is beneath you.”

My smile faded away as my heart absorbed those words. It was sweet because he was honest. He had said some of the cruelest things to me, but that meant he was being honest when he said everything else—even a compliment.

I knew I should tell him about Andrew Lexington, but I’d officially chickened out. Tonight was going so well, and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin it by mentioning that his main competitor wanted to take away his biggest inspiration. It was best to wait for a better time.

The basket of bread in between us was untouched, and the nighttime breeze was filled with a nice warmth. It moved through my hair and glided down my bare back. The dress I wore was backless, black, and beautiful. He’d given me a diamond bracelet to wear, along with a necklace to match. What I was wearing was worth more money than I’d ever had in my bank account.

His fingers rested on the stem of the wineglass as he stared at me from across the table. He sat there in silence, having a conversation with me that wasn’t audible. There was a constant intensity that surrounded him. Whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood, it didn’t change. That was how he was—and I knew he’d inherited that from his father.

“So, how was your day?”

He didn’t answer, and judging by his expression, he wasn’t going to. “There’s something I want to say to you. I’m not sure how to say it, so it may come out wrong.”

“Alright…” Now I knew this dinner wasn’t just a random decision. It had a purpose.

“I had a conversation with my father, and I had to look him in the eye and lie to him. It made me feel like shit, made me feel worse than I ever have. And then my mother told me how proud she was of me and the man I’ve become.”

I had no idea where this was going, but I held my breath as I listened. My fingers gripped the stem of my glass, but I hadn’t taken a single drink yet. Now my appetite was curbed, and despite the dryness of my throat, I didn’t want to take a drink. I just wanted to sit there and absorb every single word.

“If they knew what I did to you, they would never look at me the same. I never want to be a disappointment to my parents. Their opinion means too much to me, means the world to me. I can’t go back and change what’s already happened. All I can do is move forward and try to make it better.”

I saw the deep connection between his family every single time I was around them. They loved each other fiercely and weren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. As rigid and stern as Mr. Barsetti was, he always showed affection toward his children.

“So, I spoke with the American authorities and paid your debts.”

I stiffened at his words and almost knocked over the glass I was holding. “What…?”

“I paid back the loan you defaulted on. The bank still owns the property, but at least your credit is clear now. I also paid the property taxes you neglected. I saw that you had some student loans, so I took care of those as well.”

Speechless, I stared at him with the strongest feeling of shock I’d ever known. “Conway… My loans aren’t your problem. You didn’t need to do that—”

“Let me finish.”

I shut my mouth, but I had so much more to say.

“I also took care of Knuckles.”

My eyes expanded. “What does that mean?” Did Conway kill the psychopath that murdered my brother?

“I paid back the money your brother owed him. That’s where I was the other night, meeting him in Milan. I put the cash in a briefcase and left it on the table. Now he has no reason to ever bother you again. Your debt is repaid. You’re free.”

This was an even bigger shock than the first thing he said. “Conway…” I felt moisture build up in my eyes instantaneously. I’ve been running for so long that I didn’t know how it felt to be safe. I’d needed Conway for protection, but now I could do whatever I wanted. I could even return to New York if that was what I wanted.

Conway’s expression didn’t change, even though I was falling apart right in front of his eyes. “Now that I’ve destroyed your demons, there’s nothing chasing you. You don’t owe anyone anything—and you’re a free woman. And to make up for the horrible things I did to you, I’m also letting you go.”

“What?” He’d paid a fortune to save me from Knuckles, and now he was just going to let me walk away? I’d only been living with him for a few months. That wasn’t enough time for him to get his money back. “You want me to leave? I thought you needed me for inspiration? I don’t understand…”

“No, I don’t want you to leave.” He kept his voice low even though there was no one nearby to hear us. It was just the two of us under the stars in the most romantic city in the world. “I want you to stay with me. But I need it to be different. I need you to stay because you want to stay, Muse. I don’t want you to be my prisoner anymore. You don’t owe me anything.” His hand slid across the table until it rested on mine. “I need you to be my equal. I need to treat you better. I need to be the man you deserve.”

His fingers felt warm the second he touched me. I could feel his slow pulse and the steady confidence in his veins.

“I don’t want anything to change, but it has to be different. I want you to be here because you want to be here, not because you feel obligated to stay. So, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Conway unbound the shackles around my ankles and wrists. He dropped the debt I owed him. He removed all the obstacles in my way so that I could walk away without tripping. He gave me a gift I never expected him to give.

“But I want you to stay, Muse. More than anything.” He held my gaze, his look deep and intense. “I want you to be the woman in my bed every night. I want you to be the woman who inspires all my pieces. I want you to be a part of me, just as you are right now.” His fingers grasped mine, and he brushed his thumb over my knuckles. “What do you say?”

I didn’t need to think twice about it. Even when a huge pile of money was thrown on the table, I still hesitated. Spending my days with Conway was the most comfortable I’d ever been. He satisfied me during the day as well as at night. He made me feel good in so many ways. I felt my heart aching for him, had felt it for a while now. “Before I answer, I have to ask a few things.”

“Alright.” He didn’t hide his disappointment, obviously hoping I would agree right off the bat.

“You say you want me to stay…but what exactly do you mean by that?”

“I don’t want anything to change. That’s what I mean.”

“So…am I your girlfriend?” Did that mean this was officially a romantic relationship? What were we?

“I said I didn’t want anything to change, so we aren’t really anything. We’re just a man and a woman. We enjoy each other’s company and have good sex. It’s not more complicated than that. We’re still exclusive. I’m the only man between your legs. You’re the only woman in between mine.”

“But is there a chance this will go somewhere?”

All he did was stare.

“You know… Well, will this turn into something serious?” I didn’t want to ask if marriage and kids were on the table because that felt like too much. But was there a possibility that it could happen? That love could happen?

“I don’t know what will happen, Muse.” He suddenly pulled his hand away.

And that left me feeling cold. “I just… I love living with you and being with you. I just hope that it means there’s a possibility of a future. That’s all.”

“I don’t like to think about the future. Life will flash before your eyes in a nanosecond. I like to live in the present. And right now, I want you.”

“So, what exactly do you want, Conway? You want me to live with you for a while, and then when things turn stale, you’ll ask me to move on? But now I can leave whenever I wish?” I spoke with a toneless voice, but I felt the pain deep in my chest. I wasn’t sure why I felt any pain at all. I already knew how this would go.

“I guess,” he answered. “Like I said, I don’t want anything to change. I just want you to be with me because you choose to be with me. The door is always open if you want to move on. So, if you’re ever unhappy, I have no power over what you do. Our relationship can be based on honesty and intimacy, just as it was before.”

Now I could leave Conway if I wanted to, but the truth was, I didn’t want to. I could return home and finish my education, but that didn’t sound appealing. I wanted to spend my time in his beautiful home, living out my days in luxury with this beautiful man. Now I would be treated with respect. Now I would have choices. I could stay for as long as I wanted, and if I didn’t see it going anywhere, I could walk away.

But I knew I couldn’t walk away now. “I want to stay.”

His face didn’t melt into a smile, but his eyes showed a new kind of intensity. He reached across the table again and gripped both of my hands, giving them a firm squeeze with his masculine strength. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“But I have one condition.”

“Alright.”

“When people ask, you tell them I’m your girlfriend.” I didn’t want to be introduced as his model or by my first name. If I was going to live with him and have this relationship with him, he needed to give me something in return.

He considered it in silence, his fingers still interlocked with mine. “Okay.”

I pulled on the black lingerie that was sitting on the bed when I walked inside. Conway purposely waited in the hallway, a bulge in his pants. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, like he was restraining himself from touching me.

I pulled on the black dress and felt the push-up bra press my tits together tightly. It stopped at my hips, showing off the black thong that hugged me perfectly. A large jewel was in the center, matching the diamonds I wore around my neck and on my wrist. I fixed my hair in the mirror before I got on the bed. I didn’t know what kind of pose would look sexy, so I got on my hands and knees, showing off the deep curve in my back.

Conway walked inside a moment later, his collared shirt gone, and the top of his jeans undone. He looked at me with approval as he approached the bed. With a designer’s eye, he examined the lingerie as it clung to my body perfectly. He looked at every curve, at every area where the fabric hung from me. He dropped his jeans and boxers at the same time, revealing his biggest tool.

His cock used to intimidate me. Even without having seen another cock in the flesh, I knew it was much bigger than average. If all men were that endowed, then men would never have a hard time getting laid. Not only was his thick, but it was exceptionally long. I wasn’t even certain how it fit inside me.

He moved behind me and pressed kisses up my spine all the way to the back of my neck. He breathed against my skin, his desire heavy in the way he panted. His lips tugged against my skin, and when he reached my hair, he pressed a kiss to my ear. “On your back.”

I rolled over and rested my head against the pillow. We were always doing it missionary, so I figured he would want me in a different way. He used to fuck me from behind or demand blow jobs. But now, every night we did it the same way—not that I was complaining.

He pressed my feet against his chest then pulled the thong over my hips. When I lifted my bottom off the bed, he pulled the fabric down my long legs and off my feet. Feeling the fabric in his hands first, he then rubbed my panties against his length.

I automatically bit my bottom lip.

His eyes remained on me as he jerked himself with my panties. “You like that, Muse?”

“Yes.”

He tossed my panties on the bed then moved between my legs. He held his body on top of mine, all the weight on his arms. His face hovered over mine as he sank into my cunt, inching through my slickness until his entire length was shoved inside me.

My ankles locked together against his back, and I writhed underneath him, feeling his full package stretch me so far. I breathed against his mouth, quivering because it hurt so good. I loved the way it hurt now. I loved the way the stretching was always a little too much. It made me admire his dick even more, that he was so big he could barely fit inside me. It didn’t matter how many times he fucked me, I could never stretch out for him—not that I wanted to.

He started to rock into me, holding back his kiss so he could look at me instead. He watched me enjoy him, watched me breathe through the pain so I could focus on the pleasure. His hips moved gently, seating his dick deep inside me every time. It was slow and sensual, exactly the way I liked him to make love to me. “Conway…”

He pressed his forehead to mine as he moved with me, his eyes trained on mine. His arms flexed as he held his weight on top of me, and I could feel his ass tighten against my heels with every thrust. “Muse.”

I pressed my mouth to his and sucked his bottom lip, already feeling my body tighten around him. My cream covered him completely, building up at the base of his cock. I was so wet for him that I could hear the sound of our sexes gliding together. My arms wrapped around his shoulders as I kissed him, my hips moving back with him as he thrust into me. “God…”

He ground into me harder, the muscles of his arms bulging from the blood flow. He gave it to me deeper, gave it to me harder. “Come for me. So I can come for you.”

I gripped his shoulders and rocked back into him, my cunt taking his cock as much as possible. The harder we moved together, the more he stretched me. My slickness drenched his cock, making it easier for him to move in and out. The climax hit me hard and without notice. I exploded powerfully, my head rolling back and my body taking over. I spiraled into a craze of pleasure, a wave of goodness that made me see heaven and beyond.

No other man could ever make me feel this good.

Conway gave his final pumps as I finished. He shoved himself completely inside me and released, stuffing me full of his seed. A concentrated expression washed over his face as he finished, sexy and possessive. He claimed me without saying a single word. He told me I was his with just that single look.

I felt the come fill me, felt the warmth and the heaviness. I was used to his cock stretching me, and now I lived for this goodness between my legs.

He kissed me as his cock softened inside my pussy, his embraces soft and gentle like the lovemaking we’d just shared. “I’m gonna give you more, Muse. Just give me a few minutes.”

When I woke up the next morning, Conway was gone.

The clock on the nightstand said it was nine, so I knew he had already had his morning swim as well as breakfast. He was either in his office or the studio by now.

I walked into the sitting room and found my breakfast waiting there. The stainless-steel lid covered my food, and the silver pot kept my coffee warm. I poured some into my mug and then turned on the TV.

My phone was sitting on the coffee table, so I stared at it for a few minutes before I made a call.

It rang three times before Andrew answered. “Sapphire, I’m so glad to see that you’ve reached out to me. I’m happy to have you on board, and I think you’re going to love it here in New York. From what I understand, it’s your hometown, right?”

I dodged his question altogether because I didn’t want to waste his time. “Andrew, I really appreciate the offer you’ve given me. Truly, I’m flattered. As a woman who’s never had more than a few hundred bucks in my checking account, I can’t even understand that kind of money. But I’m going to have to turn you down. Before you make another offer, I want you to understand it’s not about money. Conway is the man I’m sleeping with, and it would be a betrayal of our relationship if I were to work with you. And he’s a man I would never betray.” I was walking away from a lifetime of security to be with this man. I didn’t even understand why. I wasn’t in love with him. Maybe I was just connected to him because he was the first man I’d ever been with. “I’m sorry, Andrew.”

Instead of trying to persuade me again, he let it be. “I understand, Sapphire. When things are personal, it’s difficult to talk business. But if you ever change your mind, even if it’s a year from now, I would love to hear from you. Please give me a call.”

I didn’t expect him to extend that kind of luxury. If Conway got bored with me, I’d still have an opportunity with Andrew. But the thought of Conway actually leaving me made me so sad that I didn’t even care about that possibility. “Thank you for understanding, Andrew. Goodbye.”