Chapter Thirty
First Comes Love
Jordan woke up early, as usual, but he didn’t feel the normal stress of the pile of work he needed to tackle and the impossibility of doing it at all. He leaned up on one arm and watched Charlotte sleeping. She was to blame for this newfound peacefulness. Even when she was an embarrassment, he adored her. She’d passed out on top of bed last night, clearly the worse for wear after all that champagne. He’d carefully got her ready for bed and tucked in while she mumbled nonsense at him. She’d slept well and hopefully wouldn’t feel too rough this morning. He reached out and brushed her hair out of her face, so he could watch her breath.
It was better than any new age meditation technique, watching her. He felt like their hearts were beating in tandem. It felt so right it was frightening. He wanted to pull her close and keep her there forever. Maybe it had only been a few days but he was quite sure how he felt. He knew her, deep down where it counted. He loved everything about her. When she woke—he wouldn’t wake her up, that would be selfish, he would wait—but once she did wake up, he would tell her exactly how he felt and what he wanted. He couldn’t stand for her to go back to selling herself, it would kill him. He would make sure she didn’t have to. What he wanted was for her to promise to be at his side forever, standing with him through thick and thin. When it came to it, she was the most amazing and loyal ally he could ever imagine. But that was probably scary and sounded almost mercenary when he put it into words. “I want you to stay next to me because you make me better.”
She snuffled in her sleep, burrowing deeper into the covers. He resisted the urge to open the curtains and let the sunshine in. She would wake up soon enough.
No, what he would tell her is that he loved her, pure and simple. Or no, what he would say was that she was precious and special and he needed her in his life. Or maybe just admit he hoped he would never have to let her go. His heart rate sped with the thought of her falling into his arms and looking up at him with that beautiful vulnerable look in her eyes.
He couldn’t stand it anymore and leant forward to kiss her softly. Her lashes fluttered and then opened. She gave him a sleepy smile, as if happy to have simply awakened next to him. He knew she felt the same way. “Charlotte,” he said, his voice rough. “I need to tell you something.”
Her eyes opened and she sat up, pulling the covers up as she did. One hand went to her temple with a wince. Great, now he’d freaked her out. He sighed at his own incompetence.
Jordan Lovett, ladies’ man. What would they say if they could see him now, tongue-tied like a foolish kid with his first ever real-live girl in his bed.
He kissed her to reassure her. “That was a terrible way to wake you up. I’m sorry.”
She relaxed a little into his kiss but was clearly still tense. He sat up and reached to pull her towards him, cuddling her back against his chest. “Hey, hey, where’s my sleepy smile gone?”
“That’s better,” he said when she looked up at him and smiled. He bent down to kiss her and once started, he couldn’t stop. Maybe he simply didn’t have the words. It wasn’t easy to tell someone that she had stolen his heart. But he could show her, fuse with her, possess her. He stroked her body as he laid her out next to him, needing access to every inch of her. He would make her his own.
His hands explored her soft skin as she arched her back, her hands reaching to touch him. When he slipped his fingers down, he found her already wet with longing. He leaned forward to kiss her breasts while he circled her clit, desperate to hear her cry out his name in joy and longing. She bucked her hips against his hand. “Wait for me, darling,” he said as he brought her right to the edge and then stopped, stroking her thighs apart. He grabbed a condom, pulling it on in record time as she lay on her back, pulling him towards her.
He climbed on top of her and slowly slid into her. She was hot and slick and welcoming, her hips raising up to meet his. He sunk himself into her until she gasped and then he pulled out and thrust into her again, carefully and deliberately. As she arched against him, he swiveled his hips gently, trying to press against her already swollen clit as he slowly pumped in and out of her. She moaned and threw her head back and he knew he’d hit the spot.
She was so close before, he hoped grazing against her most sensitive spot would be enough to push her over the edge. It better be, because he couldn’t take much more of this. He picked up the pace, still completely focused on her as she arched up to meet him, making it harder and harder for him to stay in control. He groaned and plunged in roughly. He couldn’t stop, not with her writhing under him like a wildcat.
“Jordan,” she groaned as she tried to wrap her legs around him and pull him deeper into her.
He pulled back and reached between them, brushing his fingers against her clit to seal the deal. It was enough. She cried out his name and bucked against him like a rodeo horse. His world went red as she came, her muscles clenching against him as she called his name over and over. He lunged forward as he began to come harder than he ever had before. She shook with one last tremor, milking every last drop out of him. He kept thrusting until he was completely empty, clinging to her like his life depended on it.
They collapsed together on the bed, a slick and sweaty mess. “That was amazing,” he whispered, overcome with love for her again.
“Good morning,” she whispered, her eyes still wide with pleasure. He kissed her again, gently this time, first softly on the nose and then on her lips and then deeper, swirling his tongue into her mouth until he touched hers.
“Every morning with you is a good morning,” he said, not caring how stupid it sounded. The words flew out of him. “I can’t stop wanting to be with you. Every second of the day.” He pulled back from her oh-so-tempting lips. “Charlotte Jones, marry me.”
That hadn’t been at all what he’d meant to say but now that the words were out, he knew it was right. Charlotte was everything he wanted.
Charlotte looked less confident. She scrambled back to sitting position and blinked at him. “What? Really? I mean—”
He put a finger on her mouth. “Yes, really. You can quit your job and move into mine immediately. We can hold the wedding here, or wherever you want, my darling, it’s totally up to you. We’ll choose a house together, maybe somewhere outside of the city, where it’s safe for kids, and it can have a white picket fence around the garden and...” Even as the words spilled out of his mouth, he knew it was too much, too fast. He had never even considered children but suddenly here he was, laying out their entire future.
Worst of all, Charlotte wasn’t responding the way she had in his fantasy. She didn’t look happy at all. She looked completely petrified.