Page 49 of Sinful Desires

It was more now. The mind-bending heat hadn’t changed. It was everything else. How precious he was to me. How close I came to losing him forever. The thought made me wrap my arms around his shoulders so I could hold him tight like I was afraid he would get away from me again.

“Are you ready to come for me?” he growled out, his breath hot against my skin.

“Yes… yes!” So ready that it scared me. I was almost afraid of the force building in my core. Tears filled my eyes, and emotion clogged my throat. I held him tighter because I knew I would be safe. “Come with me.” I nearly sobbed.

The tension grew until there was nothing to do but scream when it all exploded, shattering me. My body clenched around him when he poured himself into me. When he fell back, I went with him, draped across his chest, completely spent after our third round of earth-shattering sex since arriving at The Plaza that afternoon.

“I think I’m going to need a break now,” he panted beneath me. “And maybe a little food. We missed dinner.”

“No wonder I’m so hungry.” It didn’t help that I hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days. It’s funny how all of a sudden, my appetite was back with a vengeance.

But it was so much nicer right now to be here, like this. Forgetting the outside world existed, if only for a little while.Later, there would be time to make explanations to answer texts and phone calls from everybody once they heard what happened. By now, I had no doubt the news had spread. Mom would have called my sister immediately, and after that, it was only a matter of a group text.

I’d deal with it later. Not now. Not yet.

“Thank you,” he whispered softly enough that I almost didn’t hear him over my pounding heart.

I opened my eyes and lifted my head, looking down at him. Those beautiful eyes were even more beautiful now that they were filled with love. So much so that I could barely breathe. “For what?” I whispered, brushing a few damp curls away from his forehead.

“For this. Giving me another chance. I know I don’t deserve it.”

I touched a finger to his lips, shaking my head. “Like you said, let’s not talk about the past anymore. All that matters is now.”

He took my hand, pressing his lips to my palm and closing his eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m going to work every day to keep you happy.”

I rolled away, giggling as I reached for the room service menu on the nightstand. “You can start by ordering a feast to be sent up here. After that, we’ll take it one day at a time.”

“Everything in life should be so easy,” he replied, snatching the menu from me.

He made a point. Loving him was so easy. I had started doing it before I knew what was happening.

It’s a good thing, since I planned to do it for the rest of my life.

EPILOGUE

VALENTINA

“You know I’m going to help you plan this wedding, right?” Taking Rose’s hand in mine, I lifted it to admire her dazzling ring for the hundredth time since I arrived at her loft apartment. The engagement party was in full swing, with people laughing, drinking, and congratulating the happy couple.

Rose was radiant, absolutely glowing as she accepted congratulations from a passing guest before turning back to me. “You know I would love to be hands-on,” she confessed with a nervous giggle. “The store has me so busy and everything. I want it to be perfect.”

“It will be,” I promised, gazing at the princess-cut diamond one more time and letting her go. “You know I’ve got you.”

Sienna grabbed her from behind, arms around her waist. “I can’t believe you’re going to be my sister!” she squealed.

“Hey, don’t hog the bride-to-be.” Colton sauntered over, a drink in hand, smiling just as wide and as brightly as his fiancée.

Sienna stuck her tongue out at him. “You get her for the rest of your life, brother,” she reminded him as I laughed. “I can hug her every once in a while.”

“There’s more than enough of me to go around,” Rose reminded them both, and the four of us cracked up before Colton led Rose away to talk to more of their guests. We couldn’t take up all of their time.

Things were changing. We weren’t kids anymore. Some of us were ready to move into new phases of their lives. I caught Sienna giving Noah a meaningful look from across the room while nearby, my sister canoodled with Miles Young, our stepbrother, and her new boyfriend. People were pairing off, planning futures. That was a good thing. No matter how empty it left me feeling inside.

Evan and Lucian wandered over, and I eyed them both suspiciously. “What, you can’t find some willing girl to chat up?” I teased, waving a hand to indicate the many such girls around us. Rose had modeled for her family’s couture line during college and still had a lot of friends from those days.

“These girls?” Evan snickered, shaking his head. “Been there.”

“All of them?” I asked, skeptical. The guys got around. That was no secret. But even for him, it seemed like a lot.

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