Page 154 of Money Reigns
I turn.
The mirror steals my breath.
It’s me. But it isn’t.
The dress clings like it was born on my skin. The color, midnight and starlight, makes my eyes darker; my curves bolder. I don’t look out of place.
I look like I belong.
Like I was meant for this life.
War steps closer, slow and sure, until I feel the heat of him behind me. His hands settle at my hips—firm, grounding.
Then he leans in and presses a soft kiss to the back of my neck.
I shiver.
Our eyes meet in the mirror.
His locked on mine, steady and dark.
“You see it,” he says, voice velvet and steel. “You see what I see.Finally.”
Another kiss, this time to my shoulder, warm and reverent.
My heart flutters. Hard.
“You see why I’m never letting you go,” he says, his mouth brushing skin, his gaze still holding mine in the glass. “You’re made for me, Olivia Baker.”
And he right. I am made for him.
Finally.
I believe him.
***
I wake up tangled in his sheets, wishing we were still in Paris.
The sunlight here isn’t soft like it was there. It’s bolder, whiter, too real. The city sounds different too; no bells, no water lapping against bridges. Just the hum of traffic several stories down and the low murmur of Warren’s voice somewhere in the penthouse.
His bed smells like him. Clean. Expensive. A little bit like the cologne. I run my hand over the empty space beside me, still warm.
We’re not in Paris anymore.
But I wish we were.
I sit up slowly, the silk sheets slipping down my bare skin. The lingerie I’m wearing, the pale mint green set he surprised me with when we landed. It clings to me like second skin. Soft. Barely there. Just the way he likes.
He walks in just as I stretch, two coffees in hand. His eyes dip to the curve of my thighs, linger, then lift to meet mine with a look that says he already knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“Keep that on,” he says, voice rough with sleep and satisfaction. “We’re working from home today.”
I arch a brow. “We are?”
He hands me my coffee, then leans down to press a kiss to my shoulder. “Jet lag. And I want to look at you in that all day.”
My stomach flips, heat crawling up my spine.
