Page 87 of Elusive Promise

And then there was no more time for words, only for touching, tasting, loving…

It was wild and raw and honest—exactly what she needed. She'd been in the shadows too long, but the light was glorious, freeing…earth-shattering.

Jared made love the way he did everything: with intensity, enthusiasm, confidence, and generosity. They fell into a pace, a rhythm, that seemed as if it was theirs alone, the perfect symphony, the perfect climax, the perfect everything…

At some point, they made their way into the living room, sinking into the soft pillows of the couch, talking and laughing, and then kissing again as desire sparked once more.

* * *

Jared woke up with two thoughts: he had a beautiful woman in his arms, and the couch was damned uncomfortable. But as he tightened his arms around Parisa, the discomfort faded away. He was exactly where he wanted to be…maybe evenneededto be.

He frowned at that thought, not liking the serious weight of it. He didn't want to think beyond right now. He just wanted to enjoy being in the moment.

Parisa was a mix of toughness and tenderness, cautiousness and fearlessness, optimism and pragmatism. He very much liked how she thought, how her hopes overrode her fears and her passion for her job, her friends, what was right, what was just, drove her actions. She was a force of nature, a whirlwind of beauty, and he couldn't imagine not seeing her every day, not talking to her, or laughing or competing—not sharing…everything.

But time was running out…in so many ways. The lights of the room still bathed them in a brilliant glow that had been so important to Parisa and surprisingly important to him, too. But there was also sunlight coming in through the window blinds. Morning was rapidly approaching, and their escape from reality was almost at an end.

As if Parisa had read his mind, she moved against him, her dark eyes flickering open. She gave him a sleepy, happy look, another expression he'd like to see every morning.

"Is it morning?" she asked.

"Not quite, but soon."

"Good. I'm not ready to get up yet." She snuggled back against him.

He wasn't ready yet, either. He didn't want to move, didn't want to let her go, because he didn't know if he'd ever get her back. It was strange to be worried about that. He was usually the one who didn't know when or if he'd return. But with Parisa…she was just like him. She could be gone in the blink of an eye and that was disturbing.

"Jared?"

He looked down at her and caught her questioning gaze.

"You just got stiff," she said. "And not in a good way."

He smiled. "It's all good."

"Better than good. Last night was…real."

He nodded, knowing that he'd needed it to be as real, in the light, completely honest, because he couldn't remember the last time it had been like that. "Unfortunately, there's a lot morerealstuff coming in a few hours."

"I know. But we're not there yet."

"You want to catch another hour of sleep?"

"Or…" she asked with a lift of her brow.

"Or we could test out the new mattress I have upstairs that I've never slept on."

"I like the second option."

"Me, too," he said, pulling her off the couch.

"By the way," she said, as they ran naked up the stairs. "Having seen what those pool-goers saw all those years ago, I'd have to agree that you really do have a very nice ass."

He laughed as she reminded him of the story he'd told her. "Good to know."

"You know what else I know," she said, as she pulled him down on the bed with her.

"What?"

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