It’s a roar that declares I belong to him, that nobody is ever going to come between us. Nobody could come between us.
It’s me and him.
“Just us,” I gasp, as he empties wave upon wave of his seed inside of me.
“Just. Us.”
He grunts and then falls atop me. I wrap my arms around him, my head swimming with what we just did, my body tingling and yet ready for more.
“See,” he whispers, softly kissing my cheek as he rolls aside. “You never needed to be nervous.”
I cuddle close to him, laying my cheek against his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. He slides his fingers through my hair, sending pleasant sensations dancing down my neck.
“That was amazing,” I whisper. “I’ve never…”
“Felt anything like that,” he finishes, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. “Me neither.”
I love you.
I almost say it out loud, the words threatening to explode from between my lips. I know I need to be cautious, to rein in this part of me.
What we have, what we’re sharing, it’s incredible, one of a kind.
The last thing I want to do is risk it.
But I can’t deny that I do love him, even if most people would call me crazy, even if they would say it’s impossible to love a man after knowing him for such a short amount of time.
But for me and Preston, possible and impossible are just words.
We know we were made for each other. We know no one else could ever compare.
For now, I simply nuzzle closer to him, kissing his sweat-tinged skin, safe in the knowledge that I’m right where I belong.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Preston
I stand at the edge of the rooftop garden, looking down over the city, a glass of champagne in my hand.
My mind flits over the past week, all the time spent with my Penny, all the laughter and the love.
The love.
I’ve never felt it before, never even come close to it, not until I met her.
There’s no denying this is what’s happening, though.
It’s love, pure and simple and completely overpowering. It makes the sun seem brighter, the scent of the garden more vibrant, the world less grim, and more optimistic.
Behind me, Freddie, Casey, Juliana, and a few of our other friends mingle. Music plays from a speaker system in the corner, and everyone sounds like they’re having an all-around great time.
I close my eyes, letting the sunlight glow through my eyelids.
This past week has been the best of my life, spending the evenings – and some of the days – with Penny, either in bed or watching movies, taking walks, living, laughing the day away.
A single minute with Penny in my arms is sweeter than anything I ever did before I met her. I remember the night before last, when she sat on the couch with her hairbrush in her hand, pretending it was a microphone as she interviewed a make-believe guest.
She had me laughing like crazy, the sort of laughter that never came to me before I met her.
Then she leaped to her feet, that spunk marking her every movement.
“You think it’s funny, huh?” she said, throwing herself at me.
I grinned as she fell into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. She was nervous about being intimate once, but after that first time – now that neither of us is a virgin – it’s like a new world of possibilities has opened up inside of her.
We’re starving, each and every second, for each other.
It’s the simple things too, like sitting next to her in bed, both of us on our laptops as I work on my charity projects and she works on her blog. I love to watch her face light up when she answers her readers’ questions, and the joy she takes in helping people navigate their problems.
“You’re going to make an incredible mother,” I whispered last night, leaning across and kissing her just under the ear, the place that makes her turn to mush for me.
I’m jolted from my thoughts when someone walks up next to me. Opening my eyes, I hadn’t realized I’d closed them, I turn to find Casey standing next to me. Penny’s big sister has a soft smile on her face as she turns to me.
It’s good that we get on, and even better that Casey said yes when I asked for her blessing.
Penny thinks I arranged this party as a celebration for reaching a milestone in one of my charities. But really, I need to ask her something, something so important I almost howl just thinking about it.
“Fun party,” Casey says.
I nod, grinning. “It is.”
Casey laughs gently. “Not to be too forward, Preston, but you seem a little nervous.”
I return her laughter, shaking my head. “A little? That’s good. I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my throat.”