Rise - Part Three (Rise #3)(20)

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"Please tell me you liked that as much as I did."

I turn over to look at him. His hair is a mess, his face covered with my wetness. He'd eaten me to my own release after he'd pulled me to my feet and pushed me onto the bed.

I'd covered myself with my hands. I hadn't wanted anything in return. I just wanted to rest in his arms but he was insatiable. He'd pulled my legs over his shoulders, scooped my ass into his hands and devoured me until I screamed and came on his face.

I run the pad of my thumb over his lips. "I love everything we do together."

"I want to do more of that." He motions towards where his cock is pressed against my hip. "I want to do more of everything with you."

"Me too."

"You changed my life." His breath floats over my cheek. "I knew you were special when I first saw you but you've completely changed my life."

He's done the same for me. It has nothing to do with my finding out about my father's past or the things that happened before I stepped onto that plane in Milan. He's shown me what it really feels like to be wanted by a man.

"You've changed my life too."

"I've never been in love before." He scoops my hand into his. "I know you loved Ansel."

There's no jealousy in his tone. He isn't saying it to pull up something from me that borders on regret. He's simply stating a fact that we both know to be true.

"That love wasn't like this." I pull his hands to my lips. I hold it there. "It was shallow. It didn't change me."

"Like this love?" He swallows hard. "Our love?"

"You make me want to know life's truths. You make me want to fulfill all my dreams. You make me see the best in myself. No one has made me feel those things."

"No one has ever gone to battle for me." He smiles as he rests his forehead against mine. "No one has ever tried to save me from drowning. I feel like I've been drowning since that day."

I cup my hands over his cheeks. "You're not drowning anymore. I will never let you drown."

"I love you." His tears fall roll off his cheeks and onto mine. "I love you so much."

I nod as I rub the moisture from his face. "I love you, Landon. I love you too."





Chapter 21


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"How was the flight?"

"It was fine." Landon shakes the driver's hand. "There was some turbulence but we rode through it."

I actually rode him through it. When we'd boarded the Foster jet in New York, I knew that by the time we landed in California that Landon would have introduced me to the delights that can be found thirty thousand feet in the air.

He'd taken me to the back of the plane as soon as we were at cruising altitude. He locked the door of the small office before he slowly undressed me. We'd spent the next two hours, wrapped in each other's arms.

I feel closer to him now than I have ever before and it has little to do with the fact that I've just experienced some of the most intense physical pleasure of my life.

Landon is in California, with me, to watch as I take on the task of bringing the Liore pop-up shop to life. He's encouraged me every step of the way.

More importantly, he's eager to finally meet my father. We're meeting him for dinner after the event tonight. I teasingly asked him on the phone if Gianna would be joining us and he scoffed at the suggestion.

They're working on rekindling just the friendship part of their relationship, he'd told me. He wants her in his life but only as a friend.

"The outbound pilot would like a word with you." The driver that Gabriel sent to meet us gestures towards a counter where an older man is standing. "He assured me it wouldn’t take long."

"I need to go do that." Landon kisses me softly. "It's part of the job when you fly the Foster jet."

The driver chuckles as he watches Landon walk away. "You can take a seat if you'd like, Ms. Marlow."

The offer is welcome. I need to push myself into event planner mode before we arrive at the Liore boutique. I've been in constant contact with the people I've hired to help me pull off this event but I'm still fearful that something is going to go wrong.

I know that's just the expected nerves I'm likely always going to feel when I'm planning something of this magnitude. I have every confidence that the event will go off without a hitch. Once it's over, I'll be back in New York, planning the final details for the Corteck gala.

I skim my fingers across the screen of my smartphone. I open the app for my messages and read each one that has come in since I turned my phone back on after we landed. It's the usual barrage of messages from Lilly about the things that Haven has done since I spoke to her this morning. There's one from my mother asking if she can visit me the week after next. I stop to type out a quick reply telling her to book her ticket and that I can't wait to see her.

I scroll farther down and that's when I hear it. It's my name.

I look up.

I don't know him yet his face is familiar. He's a little over average height. His brown hair skims the top of the collar of his jacket. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of brown.