Page 149 of Beauty
Other than the guard I passed on my way out here, the two of us are alone. As I approached the man just inside the door, he only let me through once I’d given my name, so I can only imagine Sienna paid him to turn other people away.
Even if he weren’t there standing guard, ensuring our privacy, I would sink into this water beside my girl and risk it all. I simply don’t give a fuck anymore. I want her. I want us. And I’m tired of hiding.
“I think it’s an excellent idea, actually,” she replies.
I don’t even have time to adjust to the scorching temperature before she’s straddling me. With my hands on her ass, I tug her closer and slam my lips to hers in a forceful kiss that speaks ofhow much we missed each other today despite spending close to twenty-four hours together before the charity event.
When my head spins from lack of oxygen, I pull back and blow out a breath, trying to get my bearings. It’s so easy to get carried away when her skin touches mine.
Biting her lip, she studies me. “What’s wrong?”
I rub my hands over her thighs and lean back against the wall. “Nothing. I just miss you.”
She grins at me. “I’m right here.”
I try to mimic the look, but it’s no use. “You are, but unless we’re alone, I’m not allowed to touch you, and it’s fucking killing me.”
Her expression sobers. “Me too.”
“Really?”
She’s not the most open of books, so her response surprises me. Though I know she wants to be with me, and she didn’t run in the opposite direction when I told her I plan to marry her, I can’t help but worry that her feelings are nowhere near as all-consuming as mine.
Nodding, she traces the shape of the butterfly inked above my heart. “I’m crazy about you, Noah. You and Ollie. I want this.”
Her lips wobble as she locks eyes with me, her expression open, allowing me to see just how genuine those words are.
The look reassures me. Confirms that it’s safe for me to tell her exactly how I feel.
She’s ready. She won’t freak out. She won’t run. We’re in this together.
Maybe I shouldn’t be scared of the way she keeps her emotions close to the vest, because her actions over the last twenty-four hours speak far louder than any words.
Without breaking eye contact, I grasp her hand and press my lips to the butterfly on her wrist.
“I don’t just want this.” Another kiss against her soft, warm skin. “I ache for it. I ache for you.”
A breath shudders out of her and her legs tighten around me.
“I’m in love with you, baby. I have been for years. Not just the idea of you. Not the idea of us. Butyou. I don’t want to hide it anymore.” I press her hand to the butterfly on my chest. “I’m yours. I love you.”
Her eyes search mine like she’s trying to memorize every detail of this moment, every word. She doesn’t need to say it back. I can wait until she’s ready to offer her own heart to me on a platter.
So when she says, “I have a plan,” all I can do is smile.
“Oh yeah?”
Though there’s apprehension in her eyes, her mouth tips up in a generous smile. “I’m going to use my brother’s schemes against him.”
“What?”
“Beckett. He’s always trying to set people up. And this last year, he’s been fixated on me.”
With a growl, I wrap my arms around her. She’s fucking mine, so she better not suggest he set her up with more people in some weird attempt to keep our relationship hidden.
She grinds down on me, her head tipped back and her neck exposed. “We’re going to make him think he set us up.”
I sit up a little straighter, blinking as I take in her suggestion.
