Chapter 10

Easton

I don't know how I even made it two days without her. I wanted her to realize her feelings the way I realized mine and come to me, but my patience is all used up. She's mine, and it's time to make her see it. I've been keeping tabs on her, ignoring everything else in my life so that I know where Sloane is at all times.

I am so proud that she was able to secure that apartment for her grandmother. She doesn't need to know that I own the building, and pushed her to the top of the list. She did a fine job of wheeling and dealing with the real estate agent on her own. I love that she wants to be independent, and it just makes me admire her more. But I'm still done waiting.

She has a job interview today, so I follow her to the bank where she's applying to be a teller. It's a good job, but in my opinion, her talents will be wasted there. The look on her face when she leaves tells me she probably won't get it, and all I want to do is gather her in my arms and console her.

I'm distracted for a moment by the way her slim pencil skirt hugs her hips, her rich auburn hair in much too tight of a bun at the back of her neck. That's going to be the first thing I do when I bring her to her senses. Get all her silky hair free and flowing over her shoulders, which will soon be bare. My cock twitches and I shake myself out of my fantasy.

Sloane rounds the corner and I hurry to keep up, leaning out of sight by a newsstand as I bide my time for the perfect opportunity to show myself. She's sitting with my other intern, Kate, and not looking happy about it. I was so consumed with Sloane that I forgot to have my assistant fire her, and I make a mental note to do it as soon as things between us are settled.

Suddenly, she jumps up from her chair so fast she nearly knocks it over. She looks like she just saw a ghost. I can't slip out of sight, and she nearly barrels into me in her rush. Stunned into a moment of silence at her beauty, I can only stare as she gapes at me, wide-eyed. Has it only been two days? It feels like a year.

No, we really can't be apart that long again.

I grip her arms to keep her from bouncing backward and tumbling over, and she bursts into tears.

Oh, shit.

"Sloane," I say, full of concern that Kate might have said something that hurt her feelings. "Come with me."

My car is only a block away and I settle her in before hurrying around to the driver's side. By the time I round the car, she is patting at her eyes, trying to get her crying under control. As soon as I take my seat, she swats me in the arm. "I wish I'd never gone to that auction," she says, futilely wiping away her tears. "Even if it meant I'd be homeless now."

My blood turns to ice. "Do you hate me so much for bidding on you?"

She turns to me, her mouth hanging open. "Hate you?" she asks bitterly. "I love you, Easton. I always thought you were such a great man, and then you proved it, but you also made me fall in love with you."

Biting my tongue, I hold back a laugh because she's so clearly distraught. "That doesn't seem like a problem," I say. Her tears start up again and she grabs handfuls of her skirt, wrinkling up the fabric in frustration. I tip her chin to look at me. "Tell me what you want, Sloane."

She jerks her face away. "It's something you can't give," she says miserably.

Wrong. She's so wrong. "Tell me anyway."

With a huge breath, she lets it all out. "I only want to be with a man who loves me back, not someone who pities me so much he has to pay a fortune to keep me from falling into the hands of some old pervert."

I really do laugh then. I can't help it. She not only admitted she loved me, but she didn't understand. I did what I did because I love her. Maybe I didn't know it then, but I do now. What started as an obsession has turned into the purest feelings I've ever experienced. And I'm not giving up on her. Or us.

I start the car and ease into traffic and she asks where I'm taking her.

"Home," I say, heading back to the hotel.

I keep a firm hold on her arm as we walk through the lobby. Once in the elevator, I hit the floor to that damn suite I've been hiding out in so I can be close to her. She doesn't seem to notice until we're in front of my door.

She looks around as if she's just waking up. "This isn't my room."

"It's mine," I say, opening the door. "It's ours."

I tug her inside and close us in, but she shakes her head. "I can't, Easton. It hurts too much."

I press my hand against her heart, then pull her into my arms. "Oh, my silly little girl. How can you not see how much I love you, too?"

Her head rocks back to look at me. There's disbelief and hope in her eyes. I just have to get rid of that disbelief. "What?" she asks.

"I love you, Sloane. I didn't tell you until we got here because I knew the second the words were out I'd need to be inside you, and damn it, I'm not fucking you in the car."

Yes, this is how I want to see her, always. Radiant with newfound happiness. She throws her arms around my neck, her body pressed close to mine, exactly where it should be.

"I think it would be kind of fun in the car," she whispers against my neck.

With a groan, I take her hand and lead her back toward the door. "Let's go, then."

She bursts out laughing and digs in her heels. "Later," she says, drawing me back to her. "Next time."

It's good to hear there'll be a next time, but all I can concentrate on is now. She wraps her arms around my neck and I pull her so close her feet leave the floor.

"I was worried," she tells me, tipping her head back to search my face. "People thought you were missing."

I lean down to nuzzle her neck. "The only thing I was missing was you."

She slides down my body, running her hands through my hair. Moving forward, I walk her back toward the bed as I continue to taste her warm skin. "I'm just lucky I ran into you coming out of your office or I would have been going crazy looking for you," she says.

Halting, I set her away from me and shake my head. Even six inches of distance between us feels like too much, so I pull her to me and squeeze her tight again. "That wasn't luck, Sloane. I was coming after you. If you hadn't run into me, I would have scooped you up." Her eyes still shine with disbelief. "Tell me you know why," I demand.

A lovely rosy hue floods her cheeks. "Because I'm yours," she says.

"Damn right," I say, pleased with how sure she finally sounds.

"Why aren't you kissing me, then?"

With a laugh, I swoop in to claim her mouth. Her lips open eagerly as she pops open each button of my shirt to run her palms down my chest. She murmurs something I don't understand, but when she reaches my waistband and presses her hand against my throbbing cock, I go a bit crazy.

We reach the edge of the bed and I lay her gently on top of the covers. Her hair fans out around her in a bright halo as she reaches for me to tug at my shirt, sliding it back over my shoulders.

Just to be fair, I push her satin blouse up her sides. The smooth fabric can't rival the softness of her skin, even as goosebumps erupt. I lean down to kiss them away, tugging at the center clasp of her lacy bra with my teeth until it comes undone. I'm almost dizzy when I take her taut nipple in my mouth, and my cock presses hard against her thigh when she moans.

"You're going to pull my hair out," I tease, licking the tight nub as she squirms.

Her fingers grip tighter. "You deserve it. I need you inside me, Easton. You promised."

"So, I did," I say, reaching to pull up her skirt. Her legs spread beneath me and I push my hand against her panties, already soaked. "Goodness, you want me, don't you?"

I stroke her slit through the fabric and she bucks her hips to grind against my stiff cock. With a shuddering breath while I play with her, she releases my hair to push on my shoulders. "Just lick me," she pleads.

With a growl, I slide down her body, dragging her panties down her legs and tossing them aside. Seeing her glistening pussy, ready and open for me as she twists the covers in her fists, waiting for my tongue, is about all I can take. My cock strains to split her in two, but I ignore my own desires for the moment; wanting to show Sloane how good I can make her feel.

Plunging between her trembling thighs, I lap up her juices, pushing her hips into the bed as they rise up for more of what I'm giving her. Her head thrashes and she mumbles nonsense while I tease her until she's screaming for release. I'm at the precipice of losing all control when I circle her swollen clit, and her moans echo into every corner of the suite, but I don't let up. I keep pushing; her legs locked tight around my shoulders.

"Please," she begs, her hands loosening their grasp on the bedspread. She looks down at me with glazed eyes.

I pull away with a grin. "Tasting your pussy while you come is almost good enough for me," I say.

Her eyes dart to my fully erect cock, straining to be inside her. She reaches to stroke my length, rubbing away the moisture at the tip. With her own mischievous grin, she slowly shakes her head.

"Not even near good enough, Easton. Your little girl needs to be fucked."

I'm like a feral beast; yanking her up to straddle me. As soon as her hot little ass is in my hands, I lower her so she takes every inch of my cock. Being sheathed inside her tight cunt almost finishes me, but when she rides me like a rodeo queen, I just want it to last forever.

"Heaven," I murmur against her neck, licking away a bead of sweat. "Everything about you is perfect."

Her forehead drops to mine, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she bounces harder and faster. Pert tits rub against my chest and I lean her back so I can tweak each nipple and see every inch of her as her pussy slides up and down around my shaft. Her eyes are closed, her bottom lip between her teeth as if she's concentrating hard.

How did I ever think I was happy alone? That the only thing I needed in my life was work?

"I can't hold on much longer," I admit. Sloane has broken through every defense.

and stripped me down to nothing more than my feelings for her. And that's all I really need, especially now that she feels the same.

"You don't have to," she says, taking my hand and guiding it between us. "This is just the first time."

I know she means the first time today, but it's the first time since I've been able to make her see she belongs to me as much as I belong to her. I slide my fingers over her slippery clit and her pussy tenses around me. Her gasping shouts mingle with mine and her spasms grip me like a vise as I fill her with my seed.

Her frantic movements slow and I wrap my arms around her as she slumps over my shoulders. I ease her back onto the bed, groaning when our bodies part. But only for a second, as she curls up beside me, her head on my chest. I lean down to kiss her hair, breathing in the fresh strawberry scent mingled with sweat.

"I hope I haven't worn you out," I say, running my fingers down her back.

She shivers and nestles closer. "We'll see who gets worn out first."

It's a challenge I can't wait to accept, but for the moment, I'm happy to let my thrumming heartbeat settle back to normal with her hair tickling my chin. There's something more I have to do before everything will be absolutely perfect, and I reach for the bedside table where I've stored a few things in the drawer.

I place each of the three small velvet boxes in a row on her arm and she sits up with a start, sending them flying. Quickly gathering them up, I open them to reveal the diamond rings inside. A square one with a sapphire on each side, a giant marquise solitaire, and a round one surrounded by smaller diamonds.

"I didn't know what style you liked," I say. "If you don't like any of them, we can go shopping together."

Her eyes are wide. "When did you do this? How did you do this? According to Kate, you disappeared."

Giving a little shrug, I reply, "I called up a jeweler and explained what I wanted to do and then went in after hours. Taking a few days off of work isn't a big deal."

"They're all so beautiful," she says. "I can't choose."

"Then you don't have to," I tell her. "Change them out when you get bored."

She shakes her head. "I don't understand."

Oh, right… I smile; so eager that I skip a step. "Marry me, Sloane. Let's belong to each other." Now her mouth drops open and I laugh. "Don't tell me you're shocked. I'm not just in love with you, little girl. You make me feel alive. Say yes and really make everything perfect."

She leans close and kisses me so sweetly that I think my heart will burst. "I feel exactly the same, Easton. And, yes, I'll marry you."

I grab the marquise and slide it on her finger, then stack the other two on top of it, just to hear her laugh. Pulling her into my arms, I hold on tight, breathless with something that seemed new and frightening to me just a few days ago. Real happiness.

"What do you want to do next?" I ask. "Anything at all."

"Well, we really should go downstairs so you can meet my grandma."

"Absolutely," I say, turning to search for my shirt.

She grips my arm and pulls me back, a wicked smile on her beautiful face. "I think it can wait a bit longer, though…"