Page 3 of Love Without Demands

“I did,” she breathed, and I reached for her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. The skin was soft and smelled like Evie’s baby shampoo.

“I know you’re worried about how things will look, so we can wait an appropriate amount of time after the divorce is final, and then… then I want you to be my wife, Estrella.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t want to marry me, Paul. I’m not… in your league.”

Cupping her pretty face with both hands, I obliterated the physical barriers we’d both maintained. “Estrella, you are so farout of my league. I don’t deserve you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

She looked up, blinking away the tears that were threatening, before returning her gaze to my face. “I love you too, but—”

“No buts. If we love each other, we should be together.” I tilted my forehead against hers, inhaling the cinnamon scent from the snickerdoodles she’d made for dessert. “You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known, my beautiful star. You are kindhearted and warm, the type of mother my children deserve, and the type of wife I want.”

Her hands rose to rest against the backs of mine, and the gentle touch almost undid me. “I want that. God help me, I shouldn’t, but I do.”

“Then be with me,” I whispered, my chest tightening when she nodded. “May I kiss you?”

She angled her head and rested her lips against mine. “Yes.”

I closed my mouth over hers, and her hands slid up my arms to wrap around my neck. She parted her lips, and I dipped my tongue into her mouth, tasting her for the first time. It was so goddamn sweet, my cock hardened in an instant.

We started out slow and tender, and our mutual need came to life with every stroke of our tongues. I hadn’t kissed a woman other than Chloe in over ten years, and my veins were instantly ablaze with desire. Estrella tasted new and familiar at the same time.

The kiss quickly became more passionate, her hands twisting in my dark hair. “Estrella, I have to tell you something,” I told her, dread slipping down my spine.

“What?” she asked, leaning back on the couch and pulling me down with her.

“I—I slept with Chloe the night before she left. About three months ago.” She stilled, and the tear that dripped down her soft cheek cut me to the bone. “I’m so sorry. I was drunk, andshe walked into my room with a condom, and… I just did it. I’ve never felt worse about anything in my life.”

Her eyes darted away for a long moment before she returned them to mine. “She’s your wife. You have every right to…”

“No, don’t make excuses for me. I had no feelings for her whatsoever, and I’ve felt guilty about it ever since.”

“Because you didn’t want to hurt her?”

A tear dropped from my eye and landed in her hair. “No, Star, because I didn’t want to hurtyou. I’d already started developing feelings for you, and even though we hadn’t even discussed it, I felt like I was being disloyal to you.”

Estrella dragged the backs of her fingers down my cheek. “If we’re going to be together, you’ve got to get your drinking under control.”

“I will,” I promised with a resolute nod. “If I have you, I won’t need the liquor to numb me.”

“Make love to me, Paul. Show me you mean what you say.”

And I did.

Prologue 2

ESTRELLA ACOSTA - AGE25

I spent the entire night in Paul Bouvier’s bed. Our lovemaking was gentle yet passionate, with whispered words of love every time he was inside me.

Even with my limited experience with men—Paul was only my second lover—I could tell he was skilled.Veryskilled. He made my body sing in a way I didn’t know was possible. Probably because there was true love thrumming between us.

I had an IUD, so we hadn’t bothered with protection, a decision we made together before the first time. And there were many times that night. Dios, the man was a machine.

I rose early and dressed before kissing my sleeping man’s cheek. “I’ll be back in about an hour,” I whispered, and he smiled a lazy, sated smile up at me as his hands gripped my waist.

“Can I tempt you for one more round?” he asked in a sexy voice filled with morning grit.

Pulling away with a laugh, I shook my head. “No, I have to go to my apartment and change clothes so I can be back in time for you to go to work.”

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