Page 111 of Lush

There was nothing controlled about it. It wasn’t a kiss of calmness or restraint; it was a kiss ofneed—the kind that tore at you from the inside out, raw and passionate. His hands slid into my hair, pulling me deeper into him, and I melted into it. My heart raced, a frenzy of emotions tangled with desire, as his lips left mine only to trace the line of my jaw, the sweet heat of his breath dancing over my skin.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” he murmured against my ear, his voice dark and thick with longing. “I’ve been waiting for you to stop running. For you to come back to me. And now that you’ve said it, I swear I’m never letting you go again, Laurene.”

Every slow roll of my hips pulled a low growl from his throat as we continued to dance.

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” I whispered, my voice breaking, my hands tracing his jaw. “But I can’t choose anything but you. I can’t live without you, Reese.”

He was the one who held me when I was broken—physically, emotionally—without hesitation, without question. The one who refused to leave, even when I doubted I deserved his love. He saw something I didn’t. And despite every reason to walk away, he stayed.

For so long, I ran from this—ran from him, from the undeniabletruth of what we were, what we could be because of fear of Mama and the King legacy.

He was stillhim,still going after his liquor line. Supporting his sister. Dealing with the fallout of Conrad and our new lives. Reese never let me fall into doubt or fear. But most of all, it was how he loved me without conditions—he loved me when I wasn’t ready to love myself. How he loved me enough to let me find my own way back to him.

I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I had to stop lying to myself and him. I loved him—because he saw me. It wasn’t my legacy or duties, it was me. Reese loved who I was, even when I didn’t. Loving me, he showed me I could do it. I was bigger than my past mistakes. And suddenly, running didn’t feel like freedom anymore. It felt like losing. I wasn’t going anywhere. Not without him. Not without fighting. Inheritance or not.

“Follow me.” He grabbed my hand, and we started weaving through the crowd.

I completely forgot about my sisters, Noelle, and the bachelorette party.

He led me through a discreet door tucked behind the bar, and we climbed some steps before we entered a room filled with sleek black furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a perfect view of the pulsing crowd below.

“Do you always take girls back here?” I asked, my voice light, though the pounding of my heart betrayed my composure.

He smirked, his dimples flashing in the dim light. “You’re not just any girl, are you?”

Reese strode forward towards a sleek, low-backed chair and sat. The way he leaned back, legs spread and arms draped lazily over the armrests, was a challenge all its own.

“Say it,” he whispered, his voice a low, rough demand that made my knees weak.

“Say what?”

“That you’ve never wanted anyone the way you want me.”

“You know it’s true,” I said.

He chuckled. “You just can’t let me win, can you?”

I tilted my head, giving him a mock pout. “Win? What, are we playing a game now?”

“Oh, we’ve been playing for a while,” he said, his voice dripping with that unmistakable confidence. “And you’re losing, Laurene.”

I rolled my eyes, but the heat building between us made my stomach flutter. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

He leaned in, eyes never leaving mine.

“Dance for me.”

I should have felt shy, but instead, excitement thrummed through me. “What if I say no?”

“You won’t,” he said simply.

The bass beat matched my heartbeat. He watched as I approached, my heels clicking on the floor.

The music moved me. His eyes locked on mine, pupils dilated. I turned, my hands gliding smoothly over my sides, to my ass, feeling the silk of my dress against my skin as my hips swayed.

“You’re taking your time,” he growled.

---