from you.”
“I would never kidnap anyone for six months,” he snapped.
“But you aren’t innocent. You crossed him to begin with. Let’s not forget how we got into this mess.”
All I got from him was silence.
“Those are my terms, Joseph. Give me some time to talk to him.”
“What if he moves you?”
“He hasn’t mentioned any plans for travel, so I doubt it.”
“I doubt he keeps you in the loop about everything,” he jabbed.
“Two weeks, okay?”
Joseph didn’t say anything.
“Okay?” I pressed. “Two weeks and you choose Plan B.”
After another moment of silence, he finally agreed. “Fine. Two weeks.”
37
Crewe
London and I hadn’t spoken about that night.
The night she told me she loved me.
And I said it back.
I assumed that would open the gates to a long and complicated conversation about our relationship, but that had yet to come. I hoped her confession meant she wanted everything to stay the same, that she enjoyed sharing this enormous castle with me. I wanted our lives to stay exactly the same.
She was the first woman I’d loved since Josephine, and when I compared my feelings for the two women, I questioned whether I loved Josephine at all. I knew I had to marry someone of my stature, and since Josephine was beautiful, I probably just made the best of it.
But with London, it was totally different.
She was everything I wanted in another person. She wasn’t royal, but she had class. She wasn’t rich, but she was the most intelligent person I’d ever met. She wasn’t a suitable partner, but I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else.
How did this happen?
She meant nothing to me when she first came into my life. I’d slapped her a few times, kept her in my freezing basement for weeks, and stripped her naked so a stranger could contemplate buying her.
But now she meant everything to me.
I didn’t think I was capable of feeling anything like this ever again. I didn’t think I could quit being an alcoholic, but she made that happen. I didn’t think I could be happy…but she made that happen too.
When I woke up the following morning, I didn’t feel like getting any work done. I never took a day off because there was always so much to do, and I felt burned out at the moment. Ariel could cover my calls. And if it was something she couldn’t handle, they could wait until tomorrow.
I was usually gone before London opened her eyes, so I took the opportunity to watch her sleep. She abandoned her side of the king bed and hogged mine, her arm wrapped around my waist with her head resting on my chest.
Her back rose and fell as she slept, and her eyelashes looked thick when they were pressed against the top of her cheek. She was naked under the sheets since we went to sleep the second we were finished fucking. My come was still sitting inside her—exactly where it belonged.
Thirty minutes later, her eyes opened and she looked directly into my face. It took her sleepy mind a moment to understand what she was looking at. She blinked then focused her gaze again, my features registering in her brain. “You’re still here…”
“I don’t feel like working today.”
“Are you not feeling well?” she asked, the concern creeping into her voice.
“No, I’m fine. I just want to stay with you.”
She stretched her arms and arched her back, her mouth opening with a cute yawn. “A whole day with Crewe?”
“Yeah. How does that sound?”
“That sounds really nice, actually.” She pressed kisses along my chest and stomach, her hair trailing across my skin as she moved. “I hope that means I’m gonna get laid.”
I smiled, loving how sexy she was without even trying. “You’re definitely going to get laid.” I rolled on top of her and held my body on top of hers, putting my weight on my elbows. I leaned down and kissed her even though neither one of us had brushed our teeth. It didn’t matter what the circumstance was, I always wanted my mouth on hers. She was a fantastic kisser, her small tongue perfect against mine.
She immediately wrapped her legs around my waist, eager to get down to business.
I loved morning sex. Nothing better than having a beautiful woman first thing in the morning. “I love how much you want me.”
She hooked her arms around my neck and ground against me. “I’ve never wanted a man more in my life.”
Jesus Christ.
I pushed my cock inside her and slid into that pussy I’d become