The Boss Crush - Penny Wylder Page 0,66

at the door, so I get his attention, nodding for him to get her out of here.

The guard stalks over, flipping his fingers for her to come down. Sandy's yelling and cussing, throwing her arms and kicking her legs as she's torn off the table. Her voice fades as he pulls through a back door, leading her away from the party.

Wrapping an arm around Dalia's waist, I pull her into my chest. Her head tips up, eyes connecting with mine. Smiling down at her, I run my fingertips across her forehead.

“You know, since we kissed at that party, every day after there's been this weight in my chest. For the longest time I never knew what it was until you came back into my life.”

“Really?” she asks, wriggling her body as close as she can get and curling her arms up around my shoulders.

“Yes, really.” Scooping her face in my hands, I kiss her.

The room erupts in cheers as I kiss the only woman in the world to ever make my heart beat like this. Dalia excites me, she invokes this level of desire and need I can't control.

And I don't want to control it. Because all that matters is that I finally have her.

After all these years, I've gotten the only thing I ever truly wanted.

Her heart in my hands.

Because she's already owned mine for a lifetime.

Epilogue

Lyle

Sneaking down the hall, I look back over my shoulder to make sure no one has spotted me. I'm not supposed to be here. Traditionally, I'm not supposed to see her before she's walking down the aisle.

But I've never really been good at following the rules. And I can't take it. I need to see her. It's killing me. I haven't been away from her for this long since we found each other again.

Taking one last look around, I press my ear against the door, and listen. I'm not sure if she's alone, but I saw her mother and sister down in the lobby, and I saw Kira getting in the elevator as I came around the corner.

Turning the handle, I open the door slowly, and step inside. “You need some help?”

Dalia turns around in surprise, pinning the back of her dress shut with her hands. “What are you doing in here? It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.” She sniffles, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand, and wiping her eyes.

“What's wrong, Baby?” I ask. “Today isn't a day for sad tears, and those look like sad tears.” Taking her face in my hands, I run my thumbs under her eyes, wiping away the black streaks.

She lifts her hands to my wrists and holds them tight. “It's just my hormones.” She tries to smile, but I know her well enough to see right through her fake smile. “I'm just having trouble getting the buttons.”

My eyes scan behind her, and I see the floor length mirror. Dalia looks back over her shoulder at herself in the mirror. “Ugh, I don't want to look anymore.”

“Baby, don't,” I say, pulling her in close. “You look so beautiful. You know that, right? I don't think you've ever been more gorgeous than you are right now.”

“Yeah, right. You're just saying that because I'm as huge as a cow. I can't even button my dress by myself.” Pushing off my chest, she holds out her arms. “I mean look at me.” Her eyes draw down her front, then back up to mine.

“I am looking at you, I haven't stopped, and I never will.” Closing the gap between us with a small step, I cup her stomach. “There's nothing more beautiful than seeing you carrying our child.”

“Really?” she asks, her eyes red and puffy, and shiny like glass.

“Really,” I say with confidence. There's no falsity to my tone. I'm not lying to her or just telling her what she wants to hear to make her stop crying.

I mean every word.

“I love you, Dalia, and I'll never stop loving you.”

Her head tilts a hair as she licks her lips, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth between her teeth. Her lashes are thick, long, and sweeping across her eyes like a wave. There's a rose colored glow to her skin, and it's fucking gorgeous.

I love her belly. That bump is mine. That bump is our baby. And just seeing it drives me fucking crazy.

Growling, I grab her face, digging my fingers into the base of her neck, and I kiss her. I kiss her like she's my everything.