Chapter 29

29

TALLULAH

N iall undressed me slowly, like I was something precious he was taking his time to unveil. It made me feel a little guilty for just dropping his jeans in the kitchen, but at least I had a chance at redemption with his underwear and his shirt.

I still couldn’t believe everything that had happened today, how I’d gone from waking up not knowing if I’d ever feel the same way with him, to his apology and telling me that he loved me, to spending a long, awesome day at the festival, to this, with him kissing me like he was saying his vows. It was almost too much for me to process, but deep, slow kisses kept me grounded, assuring me that it was real and that although it was hard to believe, it had gone down exactly like that.

Niall Morrison loved me and I loved him, and as he took my clothes off with so much reverence and care, I knew for a fact that I’d never felt what I did for him. I’d always known that I hadn’t loved Carter the way that I should’ve.

He’d never given me butterflies or the warm and fuzzies, but I’d thought I’d had some mild kind of version of love for him for a while there. I hadn’t.

As Niall’s lips moved against mine, his arms cradling me and his heart racing against my chest, I even felt tears stinging the backs of my eyes. I was so happy I could cry, and that wasn’t something I thought I’d ever feel.

He broke away from me to look into my eyes. “Are you okay? It seemed like I lost you for a minute there.”

“I’m fine,” I said, though my voice was all choked up with emotion. “I’m just a little overwhelmed, I think.”

“What can I do?” he asked gently, tucking a lock of loose hair behind my ear. “Do you want to stop? I can draw you a bath.”

“That actually sounds pretty good, but only if you’re getting in it with me.” I smiled and caught his face in my hands. “I definitely don’t want to stop.”

“Give me a minute,” he said, laying another kiss on me before he got up and strode out of my bedroom.

The tent in his underwear made me smile, helping to break the heaviness of the moment. I watched him march his tight ass into my bathroom, and a moment later, I heard water starting to run. He didn’t come back immediately though and I frowned, finally getting up and going over to see what he was doing.

I was down to only my panties, but I wasn’t self-conscious about walking around like this in front of him. In fact, when he straightened up and saw me after lighting another candle, he made me feel even more desirable than I had before.

Need darkened his eyes and his lips parted, his breathing suddenly getting harder as he ran his eyes all over me. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

I looked right back at him, standing there in only his underwear with his shirt in a pile next to the tub. Every toned inch of his torso was exposed to me, all that tanned skin and chiseled muscles on full display.

Surrounded by a dozen lit candles and with the sweet scent of vanilla bubble bath filling the air, those blue eyes were bright and his blond hair was sticking up in all directions after having my hands in it. I smiled as I crossed the room toward him.

“Not nearly as beautiful as you,” I murmured before I wound my arms around his neck and pressed a kiss right over his heart. “You know, when you walked out of the bedroom, I couldn’t help but notice that you have a little situation going on down there. Well, not little. You know what I mean.”

He let out a dark chuckle. “It’s a permanent state of being for me when I’m around you.”

“Hmm,” I hummed with my lips against his. “I have a similar problem, but while we’re waiting for the water to run, I thought I might help you out with it.”

As he arched a brow at me, I let my hands run across the strong expanse of his back, taking a firm grip on his hips and keeping my gaze locked on his. “Can I?”

“I’m yours, Tallulah. I’ve already told you that. I love you and you can do whatever you want with me, but I thought you were overwhelmed?”

“Yeah, but not so much so that I want you to be polite with me,” I said playfully, sliding my fingers into the waistband of his underwear and lifting it over his erection. “Besides, this will help to distract me from the enormity of the day.”

“What wi—” He cut himself off when I wrapped my fingers around his shaft, using my free hand to push his underwear down until they dropped to the floor.

His skin was hot and soft against my palm, but he was so hard that it made me catch my breath. “Niall…” I swiped my thumb across his tip, biting my lip at the wetness I felt there. “How?”

“I told you,” he whispered, his breathing becoming shaky as I started moving my fist slowly up and down. “I’ve never said ‘I love you’ before. It turns out that hearing it back from you and knowing that we’re in this together is just about the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me. I find it insanely sexy.”

Suddenly, so did I. “And here I thought you were a player. Who knew expressing your feelings for just one woman would turn you on so much?”

“Not me, but I think this confirms it,” he said raggedly, his eyes practically crossing as I stroked him. “I was always meant to be a monogamist. I just had to find the right woman to do it with.”

“Well, you found her.” I took his hand and put it at the front of my panties, sliding it into them so he could feel what this was doing to me in turn.

Niall groaned as his fingers slid between my folds and my breathing hitched, my hand moving faster between us. His muscles tensed as his free hand shot out to the vanity to steady him. “Shit, Tallulah. I’m too cl?—”

I picked my pace, heat flooding the space between my legs. I sealed my mouth over his. A moment later, he lost it, swelling in my hand before he coated my stomach in jets of his release. Panting in the aftermath, he wrenched his mouth away from mine and let out a husky laugh.

“How’s that for not being polite?” he asked before hooking the arm that had been bracing him against the vanity around my hips, his hand still moving between my legs.

I moaned, sparks of pleasure shooting through me and making me feel like I’d have fallen over if he hadn’t been holding me so tight. “Niall, the water…”

He groaned, glancing toward the tub and then letting go of me to shut off the faucet. With that done, he made quick work of my panties before he climbed in, helping me into the deep, hot water after him.

As soon as we sat down, he kissed me again, letting his back rest against the side of the tub before pulling me into his lap and making me hear angels sing as his fingers moved inside me. When the orgasm finally subsided, I lay with my back against his chest, just processing as he held me in the soft candlelight.

When the water finally started getting cool, I turned to him, smiling at the relaxed look on his face. His eyes were closed, and for a moment, I thought he might’ve drifted off, but then his lips twitched into a smirk.

“I can feel you looking at me.”

I chuckled. “At least that means you didn’t fall asleep on me. What happened to making love all night?”

“Depends. How’s the overwhelm?”

“Depends,” I repeated after him, folding my hands on his chest as I rolled over. Water sloshed over the sides of the tub, but it was worth it to be looking at his handsome face again. “We love each other, but what does that mean? Are we in an actual, committed relationship now? How do we handle things at work? I know this is how romantic relationships usually start, but I’ve never done it this way before. I’m not really sure what’s supposed to happen now.”

“First things first,” he said as he finally cracked open his eyes and looked intently into my own. “Tallulah Pruette, will you be my girlfriend, forsaking all others until either death or something else does us part?”

I giggled. “How romantic, but yes. I will be your girlfriend.” My heart just about seized in my chest as I grinned at him. “Will you forsake all others?”

“I already have,” he murmured. “As for work, I don’t need to answer to anyone, remember? I’m the boss, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we don’t need to advertise our relationship while we’re working. You’re damn good at your job and that’s all there is to it.”

“Okay,” I agreed slowly. “You’re not going to make me move in with you immediately, are you?”

“I wish.” He winked at me, but then he sighed as the expression in his eyes grew serious again. “No, my love. I’m not going to make you do anything and I’m sorry if that’s what Carter did. When we do move in together, it’ll be because you’re begging for it.”

I smiled and swatted playfully at his chest. “You might beg for it first.”

“It’s a definite possibility,” he agreed easily, pumping his eyebrows at me. “Right now, all I’m going to beg for is that you take me to bed.”

“You got it.” I eased myself off him and stood up, climbing out of the bath and handing over a towel after I wrapped one around myself.

After drying off, I felt better about where we stood. Less confused about what it all meant. I was slowly learning that part of being an adult was effective communication, and luckily, Niall made it easy. Encouraged it instead of shooting me down.

I took his hand after he’d dried off as well, dropping my wet towel on the floor and suddenly too eager to get him into my bed to even stop to hang it up. He laughed as I dragged him with me. Then he groaned when I pushed him down on the bed and climbed astride him.

“Okay, boyfriend. I vaguely remember you promising to make love to me all night. Are you going to make good on that promise or what?”