Page 46 of Hush Money

He stares down at me, focused and absolutely unyielding. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“If you insist.”

The briefest flash of a smile between us.

Then he enters me with one hard surge that makes us both spout nonsense words. The next thing I know, he’s all the way inside me with my hands pinned on either side of my head and his flexing hips fucking me into joyous oblivion. I want to watch him so I can see the exact moment he loses himself in me. I don’t want to miss his gasps, the way the muscles in his shoulders bunch and flex or the way sweat drips from his chest onto my soft flesh. I want to see his grimaces of sweet pain as I scratch his back. But there’s no way to stop my eyes from rolling closed as my spine arches. No way to slow down the dizzying concentration of pleasure between my thighs. No way to outrun the ecstasy as it tackles me into submission and washes over me again and again and again.

He’s right there with me, his hoarse shout the best possible music to my ears. “Tamsyn. Fuck. Tamsyn.”

He stiffens and shudders, his hard body pressing me deep into the mattress for an endless second, then collapses on top of me with his head buried against my neck. I wrap my arms and legs tighter around him, euphoric as I relish his immovable weight and the feeling of his rib cage heaving against mine as he struggles to catch his breath.

I don’t know why I ever thought that we didn’t belong together, exactly like this. In what universe did that seem like a good idea? There’s only this. Only us. I’m glad we both know it.

He raises his head after a while, face flushed and sweaty, eyes glowing. “That was a nice distraction.”

“Nice?”

“But don’t think I didn’t notice that you left me hanging,” he says, staring me in the face.

“About…?” I say, but I already know, and my heart thunders anew.

He scowls and gives me a little thrust that sparks a new shower of sensation all through my lower regions. “Don’t fuck with me. Tell me I’m not in this alone.”

As always, any hint of his vulnerability melts me into vanilla goo topped with rainbow sparkles. All my newfound happiness rises higher, making me sound throaty. “You’re not in this alone. You know you’re not.”

“And…?”

It’s a big moment, but the words flow out of me, a fluttering butterfly on the breeze. There’s no stopping them. I’m surprised I held on to them for this long. “I love you too, Lucien.”

Absolute silence except for the sound of his hitching breath.

“I thought you might,” he says as he dips his head so I can kiss his smiling lips.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

LUCIEN

“Have a seat.” The following morning, I watch Ted Winwood come into my study, where I’ve been since the crack of dawn, and get settled in one of the chairs in front of my desk. Much as I’d love to be upstairs snuggled up with the drowsy and delicious Ms. Scott, who’s right where she belongs, naked in my bed after we wore each other out last night, I’ve got business to take care of. Sadly, there’s far too much going on for me to take things easy today, starting with beefing up security around the estate, which I’ve already taken care of, but I’m glad she’s getting a little more sleep. “Bring me up to speed.”

“Nothing new to report since my phone call, sir.”

Everything about Winwood’s bearing, from his squared shoulders and rigid posture down to his razor-sharp creases and pristine shoes, screams that he’s former military. Which is one of the reasons I hired him several years ago. I’ve always insisted on recruiting the best and the brightest for my staff, and I pay them accordingly. Rarely have I been as happy about it as I am right now, with Ravenna out there in the wild doing God knows what. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, and I need all the hands I can get for protection. Not for me. I can take care of myself. For Tamsyn. I didn’t like the way Ravenna looked at her last night. I didn’t like it at all. I plan to do everything I can to keep Tamsyn safe. And with my resources, I can do a lot. So I plan to protect her or die trying.

“Like I told you on the phone, I got her settled in a suite at the Chatham Inn,” Winwood continues.

“Humor me. Run through the whole story again.”

“You got it, sir. I left here to trail Mrs. Winter last night at oh-three-ten?—”

I wave my hand to move him along. “Skip the military time. Just tell me what happened.”

“I followed Mrs. Winter into town, where she turned into the inn. I met up with her in the parking lot behind the building. She seemed surprised to see me. Maybe a little relieved, because it dawned on her that she couldn’t try to check in while attired only in her robe.”

“Her demeanor?”

He thinks it over and shrugs. “Calm.”

I nod, rub my hand over my chin and stare absently at one of my antique chess sets on the far bookshelf as I consider this for a minute. I can’t say I’m surprised. Ravenna’s moods change like the crowds in Times Square. You never know what you’re going to get from second to second. She rages, yeah, but her calm periods concern me more. That’s what you need to worry about. That’s when she’s planning shit.

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