The Trade(99)

“Tell me when and where, I’ll be there.” I reach up on my toes and press a kiss to his jaw, unable to reach his lips without a little help from him bending. He lowers and offers his lips. I thread my fingers around the back of his neck and slide my mouth over his but only briefly before pulling away. I want to enjoy him a little longer before I strip down for him.

He sighs against me, resting his chin to my forehead and says, “I’m going to miss this. Wish I knew you weren’t married way earlier.”

“What would you have done if you had known?”

Holding me tightly, he says, “Asked Jason for your number, asked you on a date, and then never would have let you out of my sight.”

I draw small circles over his chest and say, “What do you think our vacation to St. Croix would have been like?”

He chuckles and says, “Probably a lot like everyone else’s: multiple hours in their hotel rooms, not watching The Office. Although, I did love watching The Office with you.”

“I miss it, so maybe that’s what we should do tonight,” I tease.

His brow pinches together as he says, “Fuck no. I’ll be eating that sweet pussy of yours.”

God, Ansel never talked so crudely to me and I’m glad he didn’t, because it makes it that much more provocative when Cory does. He holds nothing back, so I know exactly what he’s thinking, especially in the moment.

“Still hungry?” I ask with a cheeky grin.

“Very.” He lifts my chin, kissing me again, but I only give him a short taste before pulling away. He groans in frustration. “You’re killing me, Natalie.”

I chuckle. “Just hold me for a little while longer. I love how your arms feel around me. I want to soak you up.”

His eyes soften and he pulls me in tighter, kissing the top of my head. “Do you know what the key to a successful long-distance relationship is? Well . . . what I’ve read up on, at least.”

“You read up on how to succeed in a long-distance relationship?” My heart, how freaking adorable is he? It just shows how much he cares.

“I did. And one of the things I learned was if you talk every day, FaceTime as much as you can, send each other pictures of one another, and keep the lines of communication open, it will all work out.”

“That seems easy.”

“That’s what I thought. Oh, I almost forgot. It also said the woman should perform a striptease at least twice a week over FaceTime.” He shrugs. “I didn’t come up with the rules.”

“You’re ridiculous, Potter.”

“Ridiculously in love with you.” Both of us pause as the words fall past his lips. From the shocked look on his face, he didn’t mean to say that, but then his features soften and he lets out a breathy laugh. “Shit, I’m sorry. I know it’s too soon for you. I don’t know why . . .” He chuckles again and then looks up to the sky. “Fuck, this is embarrassing.” Taking a deep breath, he cups my cheek as my eyes water. I look up at him. My heart thumps so heavily in my chest that it drowns out the sounds of the city beneath us. “I love you, Natalie, and please don’t think you need to—”

“I love . . . you,” I choke out softly, a small tear floating down my cheek.

“Wh-what?” he asks, shocked.

Gripping him tightly, feeling like everything is right, I say, “I love you too, Cory.”

“Are you”—he drags his hand over his mouth—“are you fucking serious?”

I laugh from his reaction and nod. I’m positively stunned. He loves me. “I am.”

“Holy shit.” He quickly grips both of my cheeks. “Holy shit, Natalie. I love you. I love you so fucking much. I started loving you the minute I saw your smile at the fundraiser.” He’s talking so fast, it warms me up inside. “Fuck.” He rests his forehead against mine. “Please tell me I can take you to my bedroom now.”

“I need you to,” I say, my heart just about to explode from how happy I feel.

He laces his fingers with mine and guides me to his bedroom right after he turns off the heaters, locks the balcony door, and turns off the lights to the main living space. His intentions are clear, and I am all in.

When we reach the foot of his bed, he takes the blanket from me, tosses it to the ground and then turns me around where he finds the zipper of my dress.

Speaking closely to my ear, he says, “I’ve been waiting all fucking day to see what you have hiding under here.” Slowly, he unzips me and lets the dress fall to the floor, pooling at my feet. Immediately his hands fall to my hips as he sucks in a sharp breath. “Fuck, Natalie.” He spins me around so he can take in the one-piece lingerie I’m wearing. I’m not going to lie and say it’s been comfortable to wear since it’s a one-piece thong with just about zero coverage anywhere, but the look on Cory’s face is completely worth it.

His fingers trace over the red lace that shows everything—my breasts, my nipples, my pussy. It acts as a thin veil, and that’s about it. Not to mention it cuts high on the bikini line, giving him an expansive view of my hips.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous . . .” He shakes his head. “And you’re all mine.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and say, “I’m all yours.”