West led her upstairs and into his bedroom. He undressed her slowly, his hands sliding down to her waist and along her hips as he found the edges of her panties. Hooking the edges with his index fingers, he drew them slowly down her legs.

"I’ve waited a really long time for you to be here with me. In my bed." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Climb in and get comfortable, sweetheart."

He walked over to adjust the dimmer switch, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow.

Penn climbed into bed and propped herself up on her elbow, watching as he grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his lean, toned, upper body.

She reached out to trace her fingers along his taut stomach. He skinned his jeans and boxers off quickly and slipped under the sheet, covering her body with his. She sighed with contentment, loving the feeling of being back in his arms again. His arms were home to her.

He gently brushed her hair away from her face. "We've had a lot of hot, intense sex. Tonight, I want to bring the pace down a notch or two. That okay?" He pressed a kiss against the hollow of her throat.

She wound her arms around his neck. "Oh, no. I sorely object. Said no girl ever."

He grinned. "Smart ass." He pulled her leg up and gave her behind a gentle smack. "Nice ass, too."

West bent down and drew her nipple into his mouth, and she stilled as he ran his tongue over the tip.

Her stomach tightened in response. "West, I need you."

He lifted his head and met her eyes. "Yeah?"

"I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much."

"I’ve missed you too, Pixie," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "More than you could ever know."

His words went straight to her heart, filling her with so much emotion she could barely breathe.

West slowly eased himself inside of her, and she wrapped her legs around him as he began to move.

Everything slowed down, becoming a hazy blur of their hands, lips and caresses. She was lost in her own senses—the steady rhythm of his breathing, the slow friction of him inside of her, and the brush of his lips against her flushed skin.

Heat unfurled in her belly and washed over her, making her tremble as he trailed kisses along her shoulders, breasts, and neck.

"Don’t stop." Her stomach fluttered madly as he captured her mouth with his again. "Please, it feels so good."

"I won’t." He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her again. "I promise."

Her thoughts scattered as she listened to him whisper sweet words in her ear with his deep, smooth voice.

"So pretty." He ran both his hands along her cheeks. "You’re so pretty, Pixie. I could stare at you forever."

Desperately trying to find her release, Penn pulled him close and wrapped her legs around him, lifting her hips to meet his slow strokes.

"You're close, aren’t you, baby?" His voice was low and teasing. "So close."

"West, please." She writhed underneath him, pushing herself against his body. It felt too good. She needed more. "Please."

He grasped her wrists and pinned her arms over her head, holding them with one hand. "Look at me, Penn."

She opened her eyes, startled by his sudden movements. He slid his hips forward, easing himself inside of her as deep as he could go, filling her.

"You're never going to have a chance to miss me, Penn, because I'm going to leave you with this memory every time we part. When I'm alone, I'm going to be thinking of you like this. Naked. Underneath me. Your gorgeous legs wrapped around me. Your sweet voice, begging me for more."

He rotated his hips slowly and bent to kiss her neck. "Nothing gets me hotter than you saying ‘Please, West. More’. I fucking crave it, Pixie. I crave you."

That was all it took. Sexy words whispered in his low baritone, and she completely lost it. Waves of pleasure shot through her, her body arching beneath him as she fell apart.

Stunned and shattered with the force of her release, she gazed up into his face to find him staring down at her, his eyes full of emotion.

"I love you. I love you so much, Penn. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it months ago. But this? What I feel for you? I have no doubt anymore." He kissed her again before she had a chance to respond.

Tears sprang to her eyes. She’d waited so long to hear those words. Hearing them now, she knew he meant it. He wasn’t just telling her, he was making love to her.

He began to move faster, and she wrapped her arms around him, clutching his shoulders as he rocked into her.

She held him close as he lost control, gasping her name as he came deep inside of her. He collapsed on her chest, breathing hard.

Penn wrapped herself around him and ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you too, West."

She fell asleep a few minutes later, warm and safe in his arms.

---

Penn woke to the bright morning sun streaming in through the large picture window. West was sleeping in his favorite position, with the sheet barely covering his naked body. She could stare at him for hours. It was almost unfair for one man to be so good-looking.

She slid from the bed and tiptoed over to the window bench to sit. Hugging her knees to her chest, she peered out at the shimmering pool in the backyard.

He'd told her he loved her.

Aside from being incredibly happy, she felt completely at peace. For the first time since Danny died one year ago, everything was right in her world. Nothing was amiss—not her family life, which had steadily improved, and not her career, which was back on track.

Now, the one missing piece of her puzzle, the man she was in love with, was firmly in place.

She'd always miss Danny, but for the first time in a long time, she had hope for her future. Hope she could begin to move on and rebuild her life.

She'd loved West from the moment he'd held her in the barn as she grieved for her brother. In that one moment, she knew she needed him in her life.

His kindness and protective nature had been evident since day one. Their start had been shaky, but she now understood the reason he’d tried to keep things from her at first. And she knew it hadn’t been with intent to hurt her.

She couldn't imagine what it was like to have people never really know the real you. In a way, she was grateful he hadn't told her right away, because the guy he'd projected to the world wasn't anything like the guy she'd fallen in love with.

She'd kept her own secrets for the past month, and she couldn’t wait to finally tell him she was here to stay. That a long-distance relationship wasn’t something they needed to worry about.

It was time to come clean.