Page 77 of Black Roses

“Wait here,” I say, a desperate edge of command lining my voice. I step out of the shower, soaking the tiles of the bathroom and the carpet of the bedroom with the water rolling off me. I all but slip and fall on the bathroom floor in my haste to get back to her, catching myself on the counter in what I’m sure is a comedic, naked splaying of my enthusiasm.

Her laughter echoes off the walls of the stone shower, making my heart expand with the notion that she wants this.

Before I’m even back in the shower, I’ve ripped the condom from the wrapper and rolled it on my rock-hard penis. As soon as I step back in, she catapults herself into my arms and I lift her up, cupping my hands beneath the soft globes of her ass as she clasps her legs around my waist.

My hardness touches her between the legs, squished between our slickened bodies. She looks down to see how close we are to being joined. “Yes,” she says, water spilling over her shoulders, adding warmth to the heat surging between us.

She looks back up at my face, a crackle of energy passing between us. Raw. Hot. Carnal. I’ve never seen her eyes make such urgent demands. And as she works her fingers through the back of my hair, she whispers, “Yes, Mason.”

Fuck. I never knew my own name could sound so sexy.

“Sweetheart,” I breathe into her, my lips closing in to savor her mouth once more, reminding her it’s only ever going to be me. “God, I love you, Piper. Only me. Always.”

As we kiss, her hands probe my shoulders, my neck, my back, sliding effortlessly over my wet skin, building me to a point of no return. I break the kiss and tilt her hips up as I enter her, the snug grip of her tight walls stroking me to the brink of ecstasy.

I can’t help but groan when I hit the end of her. The feeling of skin on naked skin, me fully seated inside her—I’ve never felt such deep satisfaction. Such unadulterated joy.

I watch her with every roll of my hips, gauging her response as I start a slow and steady rhythm in and out of her. I can feel the impending climax begin to tighten my balls and tense my gut. I push her hard against the wall, keeping one hand under her bottom while I move the other one between us.

Her eyes never leave mine. Not even when they glaze over as her passion crests and she convulses in pleasure around me. Ragged murmurs of gratification leave her lips as her pulsating body milks a vigorous orgasm from me.

I brace us against the wall, my legs barely able to keep me standing. Then I bathe in the potent feeling of warmth and contentment that is stronger than I can ever remember. Her head falls to my shoulder, our bodies still connected as I cherish the steady beat of her heart against mine.

Shivers course through her when the water turns tepid. Without breaking our seal, I carry her delicately over the puddled floor of the bathroom. I take her out to the bed, grabbing a towel along the way.

I gently dry her from head to toe as she watches me with clear, pure, vibrantly green eyes that are creased with a smile. I swear to God I can see my future in them.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“I’m perfect.”

A wave of relief resonates through me along with her words. Her smile makes my spirit soar with shameless delight. “I have a feeling we’re going to be very fucking clean for a long, long time to come.”

She laughs, then her eyes narrow in amusement. “Did we evenusesoap?”

A grin full of hungry anticipation twitches my mouth. “I guess we’ll just have to take another one later.”

She crawls under the duvet and I wrap my arms around her from behind, warming her further.

“I lied to you, you know,” she says.

I feel a deep twist of my heart and a momentary twang of hopelessness in my gut. “Lied?”

“Yeah. I didn’t really win that bet.” Her transparent voice is thick with emotion and tantalizing with need.

I smile into her neck. “Oh?”

She nods against me, pushing her back even tighter into me. She takes a cleansing breath, a sure sign something wondrous is about to fall from her lips. “I didn’t win the bet. You did. I’m moving to New York.”

My heart pounds, threatening to penetrate the walls of my chest. Quickly, I climb over her, settling myself on her other side so we are face to face—inches from each other. “Is that a euphemism, sweetheart? Because if you are messing with me, I might just fucking explode.”

A brilliant glow spans her beautiful face. “No, I’m not messing with you. And yes, I’m moving to New York.”

I take her head, cupping it in my hands. “I need to hear you say it, Piper.”

A powerful rush of emotions flood through me, her tear-rimmed eyes mirroring mine when the words I’d only dreamed of spill from her lips. “I love you, Mason Lawrence.”

chapter twenty-nine

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