Page 44 of The Tempo of Truth
My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened.Ky choosing to show the ultimate self-control was his highest form of affection.I knew better than anyone what a loose cannon he could be when pushed to the breaking point.
“The biggest thing I lost all those years ago wasn’t my career or my reputation; it was myself.”
I let out a pent-up breath and backed him up so that his ass was resting against my desk, and I was plastered to his front.“I’m so happy you finally found yourself, Ky.”
He chuckled, and the sound delightfully rasped against my ear.“Now that neither of us is lost, we should leave those cages we’ve been stuck in behind.While you might always be a captive bird because of who you are, I’m happy to spend the rest of my life being your familiar forest.I’ll always give you a place to fly free.”
For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe, and I didn’t need to wield both a sword and a shield.I could follow this fearless man anywhere and trust that I would be safe.
I gulped back a ton of emotion and teased him.“How about we fuck on this desk and I let you destroy my corporate image the old-fashioned way?”
One of his hands skimmed over the front of my shirt, and the nipple hidden behind the silk instantly pebbled into a point.His lips grazed my cheek, and I fought the urge to rub against the bulge at the front of his jeans.
Ky made it clear that whether I was at home in an old jersey or dressed in silk and a tailored suit, he found me equally appealing.I’d been so busy lately; I’d definitely been lacking in the “fuck-him-so-good-he-forgets-about-anyone-else” department.
The one area we never struggled in was our sexual compatibility.We clicked in bed, no problem.But even that area was struggling at the moment because our lives felt like they’d been put through a blender.
I jumped up, and he caught me with a hand under my butt.My skirt was too tight to wrap my legs around his waist, but I managed to coil one around his thigh and cling to him like a snake searching for warmth on a big tree.I kissed him fully.
Wildly.
Madly.
Eternally.
Freely.
I threw my whole heart and soul into it.I tasted every single part of his mouth and lost myself within the slick slide of our tongues and the click of our teeth.It was as heated as a make-out session could be.Unfortunately, it was soon interrupted by Jeremiah calling me to the meeting that had already been delayed once.
Even head over heels in love, there were responsibilities I couldn’t walk away from.
Ky set me away from him and reminded me to eat the snacks he brought.He told me he and Lowe would be back to pick me up for dinner at a reasonable time, so there would be no more showing up at home after midnight.I watched him walk away, my heart as soft as melted butter.
All I ever wanted was someone strong enough to stay by my side and who loved me forme,not my last name.
Ky was always the one I set my sights on, but I never dreamed he’d find his feet enough to figure out how to be a perfect partner.I knew there was still a long way to go and that he still needed to find fulfillment outside of his family, but this was the first time he seemed like he was on the right track.I no longer feared he’d walk himself into the sea and disappear like that night in Portugal.
I cast a longing look at my desk, making a mental note to schedule a free lunch period so Ky could help me break it in properly.
The truth was, he impacted every area of my life, and the place where I stood at the top, untouchable and unbending, was no different.I needed someone by my side who understood that when the crown I had been given became too heavy, I needed a hand lifting the weight or else my back might break under the pressure.I needed someone who would let me rule without interference, even if the kingdom tried to run wild and pull me off the throne.I needed a powerful partner who could raise a strong son because the world we lived in was enough to break even the best of us.
I could teach Lowe how to be a Halliday, but it would be his father who taught him how to fight, and how to be anything but a Halliday.
Both of us would teach him how to love and be loved, so he would never need to question if he was enough.
Lowe would be loved when it was hard.
When it was easy.
And maybe most importantly, when it didn’t feel like love.
We would show him just how important it was to fight for those faint, fleeting feelings.Because recognizing all the different ways love could look was more valuable than all the money the Hallidays had sitting in the bank.
Ky
Lowe was probably the only kid getting picked up from his private school on a skateboard.
All the other primary grade students were getting into luxury cars that wound around the block where the exclusive private school was located.
