A thrill travels through my body with a little tremor, and I hate that I can't control my reaction. He grins wider, bending in to kiss me quickly.
"Like I said—crazy! How would we even explain it?"
"Who needs an explanation?"
"Everyone! Your parents, Pierce and Darby, the kids, your employees?"
"My family met you this morning. I think that's explanation enough for them. My employees don't get an opinion."
"What about my parents?"
"We'll get to that." He kisses a path across my jawline and bites lightly on my earlobe. "And they are welcome to visit you here anytime."
Logic fades when his tongue draws little circles around the sensitive area under my ear. "Miller, you're not listening."
"I've heard everything you've said. I'm choosing to ignore most of it because it's pointless."
"It's not pointless. This is new, and I can't move in here a week after our first date."
He stops, his warm breath coating my skin as he exhales loudly. I let out a yelp when I'm hefted off the ground. He backs us to his sofa and falls, my legs forced to straddle his lap.
"I think you missed what happened here this morning." He frames my face. "Let me explain it again. We have a history, Ashlyn. It may not be ideal to tell people, but it doesn't change the fact it happened. I'm not ashamed and I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is being so fucking captivated by you that I missed the signs something wasn't right. When I woke up to that empty bed, for the first time in my life, I felt a sense of loss."
My gut twists, and a painful cramp wedges into my side. A stinging burns the back of my eyes with the memory of that morning. "You will never be able to forget that," I say over the lump in my throat.
"No, but I've accepted it. One of these days, you'll share with me why. I could have been pissed about it, but swear to God, the instant you came running out of your house that Sunday afternoon and I heard your voice, my fucking heart stopped. I couldn't believe it, and my gut settled for the first time in six goddamned months. The feeling didn't last long when I saw the sadness in your eyes and I knew something had happened.
"It went against everything I believe in not to demand you tell me what was bothering you. That first time I brought you here, I saw a fragile woman that needed some time. As much as I hated it, I tried to give it to you. I wasn't backing off; I was biding my time. Friday morning, I woke up, jacking my dick to the image of you, and knew I was done waiting. Last night may have been our first official date, but there hasn't been another woman since you left me in that hotel in Chicago. I am dead-fucking-serious, if you didn't run out on me, you'd have spent the last six months falling asleep and waking up in my bed, feeling comfortable in my house, and knowing I want you here. We'd have found a way to make the distance work. This morning, you told me you moved here because of me. It's my turn to make you understand that was the best decision."
Oh my God! My lungs seize, and I fight to catch my breath. It's not only what he said; it's the honesty and sincerity gazing back at me. I was so messed up when I walked out on him, but he plagued my mind and thoughts. We've already established I made the biggest decision of my life so far because of a brief conversation. But now, my heart races, knowing this isn't just a possibility. It's real.
As in REAL.
I don't have to worry about him being a man I could fall for, because I already have. It's too much—too soon. In my mind, he held a special place of perfection, taking me away and giving me a safe place, if even for only a weekend. My heart skips a beat, knowing that he carried some of me with him as well.
He would have come after me… I could have had this all along…
"There's been no one else for me either, since you."
Tears pool in my eyes, and as if he can read my thoughts, he pivots his hips, sliding me closer, and swiping the tears. "Baby—"
"I missed you," I admit on a broken breath. "You gave me strength and didn't know it. That's why I ran."
"Princess," he scans my face, his expression growing concerned, "I promise not to push, but I have to know. Did someone hurt you?"
It takes all I can to not collapse into him and weep. "Not physically. But everything in my life was a smokescreen. I was a pawn in a game of power and privilege. There was a reason people called me the Prada Princess. I earned every one of the names. My ego and arrogance were valued traits in my world. For many years, I lived my life under a dark and nasty cloud of character that took me away from the woman I once was. Now, I'm fighting like hell to find my way back."
"I'll enjoy being by your side as you find that woman again."
"I'm scared to death," I admit with a shaky breath.
"What are you scared of, Ashlyn? Tell me so I can make it better."
"You have been pursuing the woman you met in a bar. That weekend was the first time in my life that I acted on a whim. We had chemistry that kept us occupied. What if you don't like the woman I truly am?"
"I'm a thirty-eight-year-old man who's been having sex for over twenty years. You say we had chemistry? Baby, what we had was fucking explosive. Every single time I slid inside you, it rocked me to my goddamn bones. Never had that in my life. Did you miss the part about me
