Page 59 of Candy Cane Chains

Ibury my face against Julian's chest as he carries me into the master bathroom, my arms looped around his neck. His heartbeat pounds against my ear - steady but fast. Water hits the marble floor as he reaches into the glass enclosure to start the shower.

I didn't ask any questions when he dressed me and took me from the warehouse. I'm sure he has guys to deal with Travis' body, to keep me protected. But all I care about is being here with him, knowing that Travis can't bother us again.

"Let me take care of you." His voice comes out rough as he sets me on my feet. His fingers trail down my arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He peels off my damp clothes with careful movements, dropping them in a heap on the floor.

The hot spray feels heavenly as he guides me under the cascading water. Julian steps in fully clothed, his expensive suit darkening as it soaks through. His ice blue eyes lock onto mine, filled with an intensity that makes my breath catch.

"I was so fucking worried." His hands frame my face, thumbs brushing over my cheekbones. "Do you have any idea what went through my head when I found you gone?"

"I'm sorry." I lean into his touch. "I should have left a note. I wasn't thinking?—"

"No." He cuts me off, jaw clenched. "Not because you left. I will always find you, Ivy." His fingers thread through my wet hair, cradling the back of my head. "I was terrified something would happen to you. That someone would hurt you before I could get to you."

The raw emotion in his voice makes my chest ache. Water streams down his face, catching in his dark lashes. I've never seen him like this - his usual iron control cracking around the edges.

"Nothing happened." I press my palm over his heart. "I'm right here."

His arms wrap around me, pulling me against his soaked dress shirt. I breathe in his familiar scent as the shower rains down around us, washing away the chill that had seeped into my bones.

"Besides, I'm sure you could find someone else if something did happen to me." I shrug, trying to keep my voice light even as the words taste bitter. But for some reason they come out, like I need to know it's not what he thinks "Someone less complicated. Someone who doesn't drag in so many problems." The water continues cascading around us, steam curling in the air.

Julian goes still. His hands slide up my bare shoulders, along my neck, until he's cupping my face. The expensive fabric of his suit clings to his body as he tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Look at me." His voice drops low, commanding. Those ice-blue eyes pierce straight through me, seeing past every wall I try to put up. "There is no one else. There never will be."

My heart stutters in my chest. I try to look away but his grip tightens, keeping me locked in place.

"I've spent my entire life keeping people at arm's length." His thumb traces along my jawline. "Then you walked in and tore down every defense I built. Do you understand what you do to me?"

"Julian-"

"I'm in love with you." The words fall like thunder in the enclosed space. "Only you. I don't want simple or easy. I want you - only you." His forehead presses against mine. "You're it for me, Ivy. The beginning and the end."

Water droplets cling to his dark lashes as he stares down at me with an intensity that steals my breath. In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him so raw, so exposed. The carefully controlled mask he always wears has cracked wide open, leaving nothing but brutal honesty in its wake.

I stare up at Julian, my mind spinning as his words echo in the steam-filled shower. My lips part but no sound comes out. Three simple words - I've heard them before from others, usually whispered in quiet moments or tossed out casually. But never like this. Never with such raw intensity, like they're being torn from deep inside him.

Julian's eyes search my face, reading every micro-expression. His hands slide from my jaw to the nape of my neck, pulling me closer until our lips are a breath apart. Water streams down his face, dripping from his sharp jawline.

"I see the doubt in your eyes." His voice drops lower, rougher. "You're thinking about every other time someone's said those words to you." His fingers tighten possessively. "I'm not them. I don't say things I don't mean."

A shiver runs through me despite the hot water. His next words come out like a vow, each one deliberate and fierce.

"I will never use those words to manipulate you. Never take you for granted." His thumb traces my bottom lip. "Everything I am, everything I have - it's yours. I don't make promises I can'tkeep, and I'm promising you right now that I will never lie to you."

The intensity in his ice-blue eyes pins me in place. There's no artifice there, no hidden agenda. Just raw truth laid bare.

"You're mine, Ivy." He says it like an immutable fact. Like gravity or the sun rising in the east. "And I think you've known that since the moment we met."

My heart pounds against my ribs because he's right. I've been his since that first electric moment our eyes locked across the room. Everything else has just been running from the inevitable.

"I love you too." The words spill out, carrying all the emotion I've been holding back. "Maybe I am crazy, maybe this is insane, but I don't care anymore. I want this - want you."

Julian's eyes darken, pupils blown wide. His hands slide down my bare sides as the water cascades around us, steam curling in the air. The expensive fabric of his suit clings to every hard plane of muscle, outlining his broad shoulders and chest.

"Say it again." His voice comes out rough, demanding.

I reach up, tracing the sharp line of his jaw. "I love you, Julian Kane."

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