I walk the streets of Paris alone and barefoot. It’s a beautiful city but I’m struggling to take it all in. All I can think about are the horrible words Miranda said to me. I look down at my ripped sweater and my heart breaks. The one thing I had of my mother’s is ruined. It wasn’t worth it. None it was. The car, the promise of the house, the job, none of it is worth the heartbreak I feel right now.

I flag down a taxi and head back to the hotel. I take off my clothes once I’m in the room and get in the shower, crying and letting the warm water run over me. I don’t want to be here when Marcus gets back. I just want to be alone, so I make it quick. I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and head downstairs. I walk the streets some more to clear my head and find a pastry shop around the corner. That’s exactly what I need. I’m going to drown my sorrows in sugar and eat my feeling until there’s nothing left.

Sitting in the bakery, eating flaky pastries, I know what I have to do. I have to leave Marcus’s home and my job at his store and find a way to make it on my own. I’ll ask Alba for help. Her family is always swamped at the diner. I’m sure they would give me job as a waitress until I can find something else. My love for fashion will have to go on the back burner for now. There will always be a fear of running into Marcus, and worse, Miranda. Maybe I can go back to school. I love books and reading. Maybe I can learn to be an editor. English was always my best subject.

Either way, whatever Marcus and I had, it’s over. As heartbreaking as it is to admit it, that’s the reality.

It’s late by the time I get back to the hotel. I take my time walking down the halls, wondering exactly what I’m going to say to him. When I’m standing in front of the door, I hear two people inside. Is that a woman’s voice? Someone is giggling. It’s two in the morning. If Miranda is in there with him, there’s only one thing they could be doing.

My stomach tightens and my hands shake as I reach for the handle. I don’t want to see what I’m afraid is happening in there.

I open the door, ready to go off on them, but when I get inside, Miranda isn’t in the room. The TV is on. Marcus is on the bed, alone, still in his clothes, watching a French version of The Bachelor. He jumps up when he sees me, my sweater falling off his lap.

“There you are, I was afraid you got lost,” he says, his voice full of worry.

I pick the sweater up off the floor. There’s no trace of the rip. He sewed it up so that it looks like new. I hug it to my chest. It smells like him.

Tears start to stream down my cheeks. “Thank you for fixing it.”

“It was the least I could do. I’m so sorry that I left you alone. I never should have done that with Miranda stalking the room like a shark. I saw a video of the confrontation. She’s a liar and a manipulator. I’ve never had sex with her at one of these events. If anything, I go out of my way to avoid her for this very reason. She does whatever she can to make my life hell.”

He reaches for me, tentatively, like he’s afraid I might pull away from him. I don’t. I’m just so happy to hear him say those words. When he holds me, everything feels like it’s going to be okay.

“I’m sorry I put money and getting my shares back from Miranda above your feelings. I’ll never do that again. You will always come first.”

I lean back to look him in the eyes. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want to be with you, Ruby. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with you and I would give up my company and all my money before I’ll let you go.”

His eyes bore into mine and I know he’s telling me the truth.

“I love you, too,” I say, the words barely audible. My voice is rough from crying.

Marcus crushes his lips against mine, then lays me down on the bed, pushing himself against me. I arch back, loving how it feels.

His lips are warm and delicious. He kisses me with a fervor that is so much stronger than he’s ever kissed me before. Whenever I stop kissing him, he pulls me back in. We kiss until our lips are raw. He keeps his eyes open, watching my face as he undresses me.

He peels off my shirt and takes off my bra. I take off his pants and boxers, and we keep removing each other’s clothes until we’re both naked. As soon as his cock springs free from his boxers, I have my hands wrapped around it. He licks and sucks at my neck and breasts. A whimper passes between my lips as he flicks my hard nipple with my tongue. Then he takes the whole thing in his mouth, kneading and biting gently at the soft mound of flesh.

He seems to lose focus for a moment as I pay thorough attention to his cock. His breath quickens, then I slow down to keep him from coming too fast.

He lets out a low chuckle. “You’re amazing at that,” he says.

I give him a sly grin. “I’m amazing at a lot of things. We’ve barely just scratched the surface.”

He gives me a curious look. “I look forward to learning all your different talents throughout our lives together.”

“Our lives together…” I say, repeating the words. “I like the sound of that.”

He kisses my cheek, then my lips. “Me too.”

“I want you inside me,” I tell him.

“Anything you want.”

He gets himself into position. The head of his cock meets my slippery warm opening. I can feel the heat of him radiating through me.

As he pushes into me, my mouth parts and my breath shivers out. Once he’s all the way in, my muscles clench around him, and he lets out a feral growl. We fit together like a glove. He pulls out and pushes his way back in over and over until I’m clawing at the sheets.

“Oh, God, your cock feels so good inside of me.”

My dirty words fuel his fire. His lips turn up in a smirk, and he pushes harder. Each time he drives into me, I scream for him not to stop, and thankfully he doesn’t. The man has incredible stamina and powerful legs that allow him to thrust deep and hard.

I lift my legs, nearly folding myself in half. He’s able go deeper in this position. “Fuck, yes, right there. Please don’t stop,” I beg.

“I love the way your tight pussy squeezes my cock,” he says, each word spoken with a thrust.

He fucks the breath from my lungs until I’m gasping for air. As my orgasm hurls toward me, my body starts to buck and shake. I’m holding my breath, making choking sounds as his breathing changes and quickens. My pussy clamps down so tight that he can no longer move and he’s trapped inside of me. He lets out a long moan as he unloads his seed into me.

When we’re done, we lay beside each other, our bodies useless and unmovable from exertion.

He stays inside of me, even after he’s gone limp, and I love that connected feeling between us. He’s warm and comforting. He feels like home.