Page 48 of Never Less

“Especially not from me. Never less, little star.”

“Never less,” she whispers.

Lowering my head, I kiss her tenderly. I wish I could take everything Nate did to her and make her forget. Better yet, make it so it never even happened. But I’m only a man, and all I can do is hold her close to me and do my best to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart.

“I know this is all fast,” I murmur as I stroke her hair, “but I promise you, my feelings for you have only grown over the years. That’s not going to change. I want to love you for an eternity, but I’ll take however much time fate decides to give us. And I will never, never think that you’re not enough.”

“I want that, too.” Her arms close around my waist, and she leans against me. “I want… I want us to work.”

I don’t think she realizes it yet—just how far I’m willing to go for her. If she didn’t want to move down here, I would’ve picked up and followed her anywhere. Still will if she changes her mind. And that’s just the beginning. I’ll stop at nothing to remind her of what she’s worth.

Liliana stifles a yawn. I wore her out, and if I’m being honest, she wore me out, too. That nap earlier wasn’t enough.

Carefully, I lift her into my arms and carry her upstairs and into my room. She stays silent while I clean both of us up and make her comfortable in my bed. I crawl in next to her, making sure to pull the covers over her shoulders.

Having her naked body tucked into mine like this has something settling inside me. I’ve been waiting for this, praying that it would happen—holding an empty space in my heart just for her. Now that she’s here, everything finally feels right.

“What’re we doing?” she finally asks. She moves, nestling in even closer to me.

“I want to hold you.” I clear my throat. She’s mine now. The time for holding back is over, so I tighten my arm around her waist and admit the truth. “Need to.”

She makes a small noise—one of contentment and happiness. “No complaints from me.”

After that, she falls asleep so quickly I think she might’ve broken a world record. I listen to the sound of her soft breaths while my mind drifts to our conversation downstairs.

My Liliana needs reassurance. Not just that I care for her and that I always will, but that she’s not about to make a huge mistake. Coming down here and being with me is a lot of change all at once. Especially after what Nate did to her, of course she feels unsure.

Hell, I wouldn’t mind some reassurance myself. For all intents and purposes, I truly did steal my son’s girlfriend, and I don’t feel a single ounce of remorse. Maybe that’s not good.

With a sigh, I shoot off a couple texts, and then I settle in next to Liliana and drift off into a light sleep.

Chapter fifteen

Liliana

Waking up with Marcus twice in one day feels too good to be true, but there’s no denying the reality of it. The sheets and pillows smell of teakwood and spice, and I’m warm from his body being pressed up against mine.

I lift my head to glance at the clock. It’s midafternoon, so I think we only slept for about a half hour. I feel refreshed, though, and my head is a lot clearer.

“Hey.” Marcus nuzzles his face into my neck before pressing little kisses to my skin. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better.” I turn around to face him, my legs tangling with his, and I can’t help but smile. Being in bed with him like this carries a kind of intimacy that I’ve missed. The sleepy kisses, the warm looks, the soft caresses. It feels good.

It feels like… home.

Safe. Easy. Natural.

My lips meet his, and I run my hands up his body, cementing in my mind that this is actually happening. That this caring, kind, thoughtful man is all mine.

“I know this is kinda last minute,” Marcus says once we’ve pulled away, “but Char and Lori are going shopping in an hour or two, and they told me you’re more than welcome to join them. I figured you might appreciate spending more time with them.”

“That sounds really nice.” I brush my nose against his. “I like them both a lot.”

“They like you, too.”

She smiles. “Tell them yes? And then I should probably get ready.”

Marcus keeps me in bed for a couple more minutes, and then he sends off a quick text. I’m not sure if Char and Lori actually invited me along, or if Marcus asked them to, but I trust him when he says they want me there.

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