Page 114 of Madden

Her eyes glisten, lifting her lips and waiting for me to kiss her. When I crash my mouth on hers, she moans, digging her nails into my waist as she holds onto me.

The feel of her lips on mine, the sounds she makes, and the warmth of her body in my arms has me never wanting to come up for air.

It’s so easy to get lost in her and forget everything.

“I don’t want you to quit your job for me,” I whisper against her lips when I pull back.

“It’s not for you, Madden. You’ve opened my eyes to what makes me happy. It’s not the job or the beautiful apartment overlooking New York. I’ve come to terms with the fact this isn’t what I want to do anymore. Hell, if it wasn’t for Serena, I probably would’ve packed up my bags already and got the heck out of New York.”

“I’m not giving up on my passions. There are other creative ways I can do what I love that won’t hurt anyone, especially the people I care about. I’ve always wanted to write a novel and get back into photography. There are so many things I can do. I’m not going to rush to figure it out simply because I’m avoiding my father pressuring me to work for him. I’m going to do what I want and what makes me happy.

“I understand why you were upset with me,” she says, pressing her hand against my chest. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, for pushing me away. I meant what I said in the very beginning though, I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I never wanted to hurt you either.” My voice breaks. “I’ve been wrong about people in the past. I felt like the ground was crumbling beneath me. I didn’t want to look at you, and know how much I love you, and be forced to face the fact I was wrong. Now I realize the only thing I was wrong about was thinking I could ever walk away from you.”

“All that matters is you’re here now, right?”

I nod, pressing another kiss against her lips. I bend down and lift her into my arms. She giggles, wrapping her arms around my neck before I set her down on the edge of the counter.

“I’m here now, and baby, I’m not ever letting you go again.”

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