Page 105 of The Artist
“Such as?”
“Such as lust and longing.”
I looked deep into her eyes silently begging her to continue.
“For some reason, the hero in every book I read always had your face.”
A rush of hope and excitement made me squeeze her hand. “Belle, be honest. Did you ever… fantasize about me?”
She kept rubbing her throat and clearing it as if talking was an effort.
“Did you?” I repeated.
She nodded.
“Yeah?”
“Many times.”
Her admission released a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. “So did I,” I breathed. “A million times.”
We smiled at each other.
“Belle.” Raising her hand, I kissed her knuckles. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Yes.” She blinked her gorgeous eyes like she was scared of missing a single word of my secret.
“You asked why I’m twenty-seven and haven’t married yet. What I didn’t tell you is that there have been women who people thought would be a perfect fit for me. I’ve met with potential brides, but each time I knew instantly that I couldn’t marry them. It’s been hard for me to explain to my family why. Especially when I couldn’t point to any obvious flaws. But if I’m honest with myself, I think the problem was that I always wanted someone like you, and that’s hard to find in the Northlands.”
Belle smiled and lifted her hand to caress my face. “Maybe we have more in common than we thought. My friends never understood my aversion to sex, but no one caught my interest. How could they when I compared them to you?”
My face split into a smile and by instinct I picked her up and placed her on my lap. “Tell me again how you fantasized about me and rejected other men.”
“Mason, stop.” She chuckled when I buried my head against her neck and marked her with a solid kiss.
“You’ll leave a mark.”
“That’s the point. I’m claiming you as mine.” I kept kissing her and moved us from the bench to my bed. “There’s no need for us to stay apart any longer. We both want this.”
Belle didn’t protest. Her fingers splayed over my bare chest and it turned me on to see her lick her lips.
“I want you in my bed, Belle. Not just tonight, but forever.”
When she opened her mouth to speak, I covered it for a second. “And I want my fucking ten out of ten as your lover.”
She removed my hand and smiled at me. “Then you’d better blow my mind.”
Leaning my forehead against hers, I whispered. “I will, but you need to guide me. Tell me what you like and don’t like.”
“I like it when you kiss me and when you’re inside me.”
Licking her throat, I moved up to whisper in her ear. “Sounds like we have a lot in common. Those happen to be two of my favorite things in the world as well.”
CHAPTER 29
Better Times
Belle
