Page 77 of Dare to Love

“Good.” Because she was lonely too.

He lifted a strand of her hair and twisted it between his fingers. She felt the pull straight through to her skin. It was the start of him getting to her—if she allowed him to.

She hadn’t decided yet. “I’m human, which means I’m going to make my own decisions. And I’m going to make mistakes,” she told him.

A smirk edged the corners of his mouth.

“Unbelievable. You’re laughing?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m just realizing you’re smarter than I’ve ever been.”

She tipped her head to one side. “Say that again?”

“Hell no. It’s taken me too long to catch up,” he muttered, more to himself than to her.

“Meaning?” she asked, her tone weary even to her.

He cupped her chin in his hand, just begging her to turn in to him and find comfort. And she was tired. So tired of riddles and talking in circles. Tired of being alone.

His thumb caressed her jaw, and she couldn’t help but stare into his eyes.

“Meaning, I love you,” he said in a strong voice.

Riley gasped. “You—”

“I love you.” His eyes were warm.

No longer that steely gray. She couldn’t name the color, just the temperature in their depths. And there was heat. Lots and lots of heat. Everything inside her melted, at both his expression and the words she’d longed to hear.

“You’re strong enough to overcome your past, and you’re strong enough to deal with me. From the minute you walked into that ballroom, you were it for me,” he said in a gruff, emotional tone she’d never heard from him before.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “How do I know you won’t find some reason to push me away again?”

His hand remained on her cheek. “You trust me. How do I know you won’t leave me for a better bet?”

“You trustme,” she said, a slow grin spreading across her face.

Then she did the one thing that guaranteed him she understood. She grasped his wrist and turned her head, easing her cheek into his palm, accepting him and opening herself tothem.

“I love you too, Ian.”

The words reverberated in his brain until finally settling in his heart. She meant it. More important,he believed it.

He lifted her up and seated her on the desk, stepping between her legs. “I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I won’t be screwing this up.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “How about you just screw me instead? How’s that for a play on words?”

“Not funny.” He leaned in, touching his nose to hers. “I’ll be making love to you, not screwing you. And that’s something you’d better remember.”

He eased her skirt up around her legs, pulling off her barely there panties. “I think you should give up on underwear too,” he informed her. “It’ll make my life so much easier.”

“Works for me,” she said as her trembling fingers fumbled with his belt buckle, finally opening his pants.

He stepped back long enough to drop his trousers and kick them aside. He came back to her, taking his time, allowing his cock to slide up and down her sex. He couldn’t refrain from glancing down, viewing his cock glide against her slick folds.

She answered with a soft moan. “I didn’t think we’d be like this again,” she whispered.

Knowing he’d broken her heart, he swore to himself he’d do everything possible to mend it and keep her whole for the rest of her life.