The moment he lets go of my hands, I’m struck by how cold I feel without his hands on me. Then I remember his question and I turn around to face the coffee table where the Sierra Nevada box sits. I move toward it and Houston follows me, reaching for the box before I can grab it.

“Sit down.”

I take a seat on the sofa, but he doesn’t follow suit. He stands next to the coffee table, staring at the box in his hands. I wish I knew what he was thinking, because all I can think of right now is the promise I made to him last night. If he shows me what’s inside the box, I’m supposed to tell him what my book is about.

Finally, he tears his gaze from the box and tilts his head as he notices the sheet of paper sitting on the coffee table. He’s six-foot-four. Can he really read the words scribbled on that worn piece of paper from all the way up there?

“What is that?”

I reach forward and swipe the paper off the table. “It’s nothing. It’s just something I’m working on for my boss.”

“Your boss asked you to help him write his wedding vows?”

Suddenly I feel guilty, as if I’ve somehow betrayed Houston. “Yes. He found out I have a degree in English and he was kind of desperate for some help. It’s not a big deal.”

He smiles as he looks down at me. “Can I see what you’ve written?”

“No!”

He laughs. “Why not?”

“Because I haven’t had a chance to write much of anything yet, and it’s embarrassing.”

“Why is it embarrassing? It’s just me.” He sits next to me on the sofa and I get a strong whiff of his clean, masculine scent. “Let me see, then I’ll open the box.”

“I thought you wanted to know what my book is about.”

“I want to see both.”

His words echo in my mind and the guilt hits me hard. Houston wants both me and his wife. And I was about to let him have his way.

“You have to leave,” I say, tucking the vows into my back pocket as I rise from the sofa.

He stands up with me. “Why? What did I do?”

“It’s not what you did. It’s—” I’m interrupted by the vibration in my front pocket. I slip my phone out and shake my head when I read the text message.

“Who’s that?” Houston asks, glancing at the back of my phone.

“It’s a really nice guy who’s not married.”

His chest is heaving and his jaw is clenched tightly as the anger percolates inside him. “Don’t shut me out, Rory. Give me a chance.”

“A chance to do what?”

He doesn’t answer right away, so I begin typing a response to Liam. Houston grabs my phone and gently slips it out of my hands. He lays the phone facedown on the coffee table and smiles as he opens the Sierra Nevada box.

I gasp when I see the ring lying on its side. “What is that?”

He lifts my chin up so he can look me in the eye. “I bought this engagement ring for you two weeks before we broke up.”

I clutch my chest as I try to keep breathing. “What? I don’t understand. You… you said we couldn’t get married. You… you broke my heart.”

“It was the biggest mistake of my life. I could see it then and I can see it even more now. Letting you go was the single stupidest thing I’ve ever done.” He plucks the ring out of the box and sets the box on the table next to my phone, then he holds the ring between his thumb and forefinger. “Rory, you’re the only one who knows me, which is kind of sick because I spent so much of our time together lying to you.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “What do you mean?”

He blinks back tears. “There’s so many things you don’t know about me that I need to tell you, so you’ll understand everything that happened back then and afterward.” He takes my hand and my entire body trembles, the way it did when I thought he was going to propose to me five years ago. But this time, he lays the ring in the palm of my hand and closes my fingers around it. “This is yours. It’s my promise to you. I swear I’m going to do everything I can to get that ring on your finger.”

I squeeze my fist around the ring, savoring the sharp prick of the diamond as it digs into my skin. “Houston, I’d rather have the truth than this ring.”

“That ring is my promise to tell you the truth, but only when the time is right. I need to get out of my marriage first. I need you to know how serious I am first.” He takes my face in his hands again and I draw in a sharp breath. “Promise me you’ll wait for me and I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

I would be stupid to make that kind of deal with a married man, but Houston isn’t just any man. He’s the only man I’ve ever loved. He may be the only man I’ll ever love. I can’t risk throwing it all away again.

“It’s about us,” I whisper.

He looks confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The book. It’s the story of us.”

He sighs as if he’s been waiting to hear these words all his life. “I hope it never ends.” He brushes a tear from my cheek and kisses my forehead. “Wait for me.”

I nod and wrap my arms around his waist to bury my face in his chest. He holds me tightly for a long while, occasionally kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back. I breathe in the scent of his warm skin through his T-shirt and I find myself not wanting to let go. Like we could stand here for the rest of our lives and I’d be perfectly content.

A while later, it could be ten minutes or ten days, Houston tilts my face up and the smile on his face makes my heart happy. He leans in to kiss me and I have no desire to stop him anymore. He may not be mine on paper, but I know his heart is mine. I can feel it in the way he kisses me, exactly the way he used to kiss me. Like we’ve picked up right where we left off, never skipping a beat.

His fingers are tangled in my hair, tugging lightly so my mouth falls open in a silent gasp. Seizing the opportunity, he pushes his tongue farther inside. I close my lips around his tongue and suck gently. His moans drive me crazy. I bob my head a little to give him a preview of what’s to come. Then, I release his tongue and smile as I tuck the ring into my pocket.

Reaching up, I coil my arms around his solid neck. His arms lock around my hips as he lifts me up, like I weigh about as much as a sparrow. My legs curl around his waist and I tilt my head back as he kisses my neck.

“I missed you,” I whisper.

“I missed the fuck out of you, Scar.”

I laugh so hard I almost choke on my saliva. “You killed it.”

He carries me over to the sofa and lays me down with the utmost of ease. “What are you talking about? I’m just getting started. Can you feel the love tonight?”

I sigh as he slides his hand under my T-shirt and settles himself between my legs. “I can feel something.”

His fingers squeeze my breast. “So can I.”

He kisses me hard and I lose myself in him until we’re a tangled mess of hot, unrestricted desire. Suddenly, his T-shirt and my shirt and bra are off and I don’t remember removing them. He’s still so good at operating in stealth mode while I’m lost in the throes of lust.

His lips are hot and firm as he kisses his way down to my breast. My back arches the moment he takes my nipple into his mouth. The throbbing between my legs intensifies as he firmly squeezes my other nipple. Tangling my fingers in his hair, I slide my hands down to his shoulders, digging my fingernails into his skin as he devours my sensitive flesh.

“Oh, God, Houston.”

“What do you want me to do to you?” he whispers as he kisses his way to my other breast.

Just hearing him ask the question makes me writhe with anticipation, but it’s been so long since we’ve been together, I don’t know if I remember how to do this.

He kisses his way down to my navel, his fingers poised on the button of my jeans as he looks up at me with a cunning smile. “I’m going to make you come so hard tonight.”

I swallow hard as he undoes my button. “Oh, God.”

He slowly eases me out of my jeans, smiling when he sees my pink G-string. Tracing his finger downward along the lacy edge, he stops when his hand is between my legs. He looks up at me, watching my reaction as he slips his finger beneath the fabric and easily finds my clit. My abdominal muscles tighten and I try to focus on breathing as he gently teases me with the soft pad of his finger.

“Look me in the eye.”

I gaze back at him, my mouth gaping as he strokes my clit. He varies the pressure, first soft and then firm, then soft again. I pant steadily, my mewls subdued by my insecurity.

“Let go, baby,” he reassures me.

I bite my lip as I look him in the eye and swallow my reserve. My hips buck in time with the rhythm of his hand. And almost instantly, the orgasm hits me in waves. My body curls inward feeding the fiery hunger in his eyes. He holds me tighter, his gaze fixed on mine as my legs twitch with the force of the pleasure. My body spasms uncontrollably as he continues to stroke me, and I get a strong urge to push his hand away. The pleasure is so intense it’s almost painful.

“This is mine,” he murmurs as he caresses me. “Say it.”

I exhale a sharp breath coupled with a moan as the orgasm reaches epic levels. “It’s yours.”

My thighs tremble and I let out a few sharp whimpers, but he continues until the orgasm passes. He’s going for orgasm number two.

“You’re going to come so many times tonight, you’ll be begging me to stop just so you can catch your breath.”

I haven’t been touched in so long, the second orgasm comes easily. He smiles as he slides his hand back and slowly pulls my panties off. The moment his mouth is on me, I throw my head back and let out a loud sigh.

“Holy shit.”

His tongue swirls around my clit, torturing me, until orgasm number three begins. He senses it, so he pulls his head back and slides two fingers inside me. I look down and he’s watching me so he can see when he’s found my G-spot. He curls his fingers inside me, massaging in a firm back-and-forth motion until he locates it. My body jumps a little and he smiles as he focuses his stroking on that one sensitive area.

Then his mouth is on me again and the pleasure is almost too much to handle. I grab fistfuls of his hair and try not to kick him as he brings me to orgasm again. He reaches up to tweak my nipple, keeping his mouth closed around my clit. My body quakes violently as he stimulates me beyond the point of comprehension. Until I feel as if I’m panting so hard I’m going to black out.

When he’s done, he plants a soft kiss on the inside of my thigh and moves to get up. I watch in wonderment as he stands from the sofa and strips before me. He’s more beautiful than I remembered. His perfect pecs and abs flow effortlessly into his oblique muscles, which draw a glorious arrow pointing down toward his velvety smooth erection.

He settles down on top of me and I coil my arms around his muscular shoulders as he kisses me deeply. His erection rubs against my sensitive clit as his hips thrust slowly back and forth, using my moisture to massage me and work me into a frenzy.

I push his shoulders back so I can look him in the eye. “Put it in… please.”

The left corner of his mouth curves upward, then we both look down to watch as he slowly slides his cock inside me.

“Fuck,” he hisses, as he pushes in a bit farther. “You’re so tight.” He plunges into me a little at a time, watching my face to see my reaction. “Have you been with anyone else?” He freezes with half his erection inside me when I shake my head. “Really?”

I would expect myself to feel embarrassed about this, but I’m not. I shouldn’t be ashamed of the fact that I don’t want to have casual sex.

“Is that weird?” I reply.

He smiles and kisses my forehead. “It’s not weird. It’s sexy as fuck.”

He lifts my leg a little so he can slide farther into me. It takes a few minutes, but he finally gets his entire erection inside me and I gasp when he hits my cervix.

His brow furrows as he looks me in the eye. “Am I hurting you?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to feel a bit of pain.”

He leans down to whisper in my ear. “I love you, Scar.”

I tighten my arms and legs around him and close my eyes as I attempt to burn this moment into my memory. “I love you, too.”

He pulls his head back a little and grabs my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. “I love you, baby, but tonight I’m going to fuck you until you question that.” He smiles and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose as he thrusts his hips back and forth. “I’ve been waiting five long years for this.”

I whimper as he moves in and out of me. His considerable girth gently stretches the walls of my pussy, tenderizing me, preparing me for whatever he has in mind.

I gaze back at him as I whisper, “I’m ready. And I’ll never question that.”