Page 79 of Seductive Scoundrel

The fucking tape.

That’s something different. Something I should mention.

I clear my throat, trying to work up my courage. “Did you really mean what you said before about the picture with Kyle? You don’t care about stuff like that?”

He glances over, our eyes meeting. “Mia, as long as it’s in the past, I don’t care. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, or wouldn’t repeat given half a chance. Unless you want to get back together with the a hole, we can just let the past go. Mistakes and all. Gwynne included.” He gives me a wink, a smile on those delicious lips.

Happiness pushes out the uncertainty, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m hopeful. “I love you, Dean McCormick.”

“I love you, Mia Ford. Before you know it, we’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Big.”

I laugh. “You know, I think that I like the sound of that. A lot.”

And I won’t let anything get in the way of our future.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dean

I’ve always pridedmyself on being the expert in every situation. On the odd chance that I’m not, I fake it well enough to never get called out. My reputation doesn’t allow for any less in my professional life and, until recently, that was the only one that really mattered.

But entire new layers of existing are being exposed the more time that I spend with Mia, and I’m learning that being off-balance because you love someone so much isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, it can actually be fun to open yourself up every once in a while.

It’s okay to learn, it’s okay to grow, and it’s okay to share first experiences where I’m not the most prepared person in the room. While it may be so far outside of my norm that it’s insane to stop and think about, I’m enjoying every new thing Mia throws my way.

Last night was the perfect example. Mia’s family unit is as tight-knit as I imagined, and their traditions are established routines where everyone knows their place. But they welcomed me into their fold with open arms. I was just Dean and none of the other bullshit I’m usually so focused on even mattered.

I’ve never spent an evening with a woman and her family, but when you love someone, your entire lens on life changes. It was a privilege to see Mia with the people who made her who she is, and I’m actually looking forward to going back to Kansas.

When I tell her, she laughs. “Really?”

“I like being with you everywhere. Even here.”

We’re at the airport about to head back to New York City on a red-eye flight that will get us home in time for work on Monday morning. I’m used to it, used to being tired, and used to being rushed. I’ve woken up unsure of what country I’m in on countless occasions. I typically cram in as much as I possibly can during the day and like to be away from home for as short of a time as possible – get in, do what needs to be done, and get out.

But this trip felt way too short.

I’m not looking forward to getting back to work – another first for me.

Mia doesn’t even blink at the private jet and simply asks, “Is there a bedroom on this thing?”

I chuckle. “You didn’t get enough last night?”

The look in her eyes tells me that she most definitely didn’t, and it couldn’t make me happier. Normally, I try to take my time with Mia because a body like hers is meant to be savored. But this time, I barely have the door closed behind us before she’s tugging on my jeans and biting my lip.

She smartly chose to wear a dress, and it’s seconds before I learn how wet she is, and another two breaths before she confirms I’m hard as a rock.

We’ve never gone this fast before.

It’s a wild melding of hands, tongues, and breathing, driven by an urgency that shouldn’t be possible. We barely slept last night, and I’m surprised my girl can walk straight. Yet she’s still clinging to me like she needs me to go on living.

My cock is already inside her as I’m pressing her back to the wall, and her hands have snaked up my shirt to dig her nails into my shoulders while she gasps into the column of my throat. I’m still wearing my suit, for fuck’s sake, and we need to slow things down before I go off like a horny teenager.

I try to pull her dress off, but she stops me with a hard kiss. “No time. Make me come.”

“There’s always time to –”

“Come. Now.”

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