Reckless In Love (The Maverick Billionaires #2)(91)
He nuzzled her hair. “I’m sorry. You asked, and I tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal. But I will always tell you everything. No more secrets. No more hiding. And I’ll always listen.”
“Then let me tell you what I’m going to do,” she pushed on in a low, seductive, mesmerizing tone. “I’m going to teach my classes in the fall. I’m going to put the other commissions on hold while I finish the chariot race for your building’s grand opening.”
His blood pulsed wildly. “And then?”
“Remember, I’m a Zanti Misfit. With me, you have to expect the unexpected. So after our grand unveiling, I want to wing it.” She smiled her gorgeous, beguiling smile. “Being without a plan and letting the unexpected happen won’t send our lives down the tubes. In fact, something tells me that’s when things are going to become more magical than ever. You see, I’ve decided to stay for keeps. You’re not getting rid of me. And we’ll figure out how to make this work. Together.”
She leaned close to brush her mouth across his. She couldn’t know how he’d longed for that when he believed he’d never feel the sweet caress of her lips again.
Lord, he wanted nothing more than to take everything she was offering—her complete and unconditional love. And yet, beneath everything, there was still that one unavoidable fact. His way of life was toxic to her, and he’d never forgive himself if he continued to hurt her.
So instead of losing himself in her kiss—in her—he forced himself to speak the truth. “What if I do it again? What if I push too hard? What if I hurt you?”
Always doing the unexpected, she smiled. “We’re both clear that I don’t want to be the glitter girl you want me to be. But I do want you. And I get that figuring it all out might be messy. It won’t always be easy to decide where I should draw the line on my junk and where you should draw the line on your parties.” She pressed a finger to his lips when he began to open his mouth. “And you aren’t like your parents, craving the next party. For you, there’s a purpose for it.”
No, he definitely didn’t crave it the way he craved Charlie, her touch, her kiss, her.
She gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “But life and love can be messy and hard. That doesn’t mean we chuck it in. We aren’t Whitney and Evan. We certainly aren’t your parents. We’re strong enough to keep at it until we find the right compromise.” She barely took a breath as she said, “We won’t always be perfect, but we can make this work. We can be magnificent, because what we have is the best thing I’ve ever known. You are the best man I’ll ever know. And I refuse to give up on you. So are you going to give me up without a fight? Or are you going to walk the mile right beside me every step of the way, no matter how hard it is?”
He felt what she was saying deep in his marrow. Come on, baby, fight for me like I’m fighting for you.
His parents had never fought for each other. But he and Charlie weren’t his parents, damn it. With her by his side every single step of the way, the ghosts of his past couldn’t have power over him. Not when her love for him—and his for her—was a billion times stronger than anything else in the world.
“I told myself I needed to let you go. That it was the only way to keep you safe. To make you happy. But damn it, I could never have done it.” He framed her delicate face in his hands. Except that there was nothing delicate about Charlie. She was strong, independent, talented, stubborn. And she was perfectly imperfect. He loved her more than anything in the world. “I’ll never stop fighting for you, Charlie. And I’ll never stop loving you. Not for one single second. No matter what.”
Then he lowered his mouth to hers, sealing his promise with a long, slow, lusciously sweet kiss.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
It was the most decadent kiss Charlie had ever tasted, and overflowing with hope. When he lifted her into his arms to carry her out of his office and into his bedroom, she deepened the kiss until her heart beat recklessly.
Their kiss was gentle and rough all at once, sweet and desperate. They rolled over on the bed until she was straddling him, and he reached up to smooth her hair back as it fell in a curtain over them. “I believe in love,” he said softly. “And I’ve loved you from the very first moment.” His gaze roamed her face like a touch. “But I grew up believing love wasn’t enough.”
She leaned her forehead against his. “It can be.”
“You’re teaching me that. Teaching me that we aren’t my parents and we don’t have to drag each other down. We don’t have to be toxic to each other even if we’re not exactly the same, even if some of our passions and hobbies are different. I should have learned a lot more from Susan and Bob than I did from my parents.”
She nuzzled his hair. “It just took longer to understand that you could break the cycle your parents were stuck in.”
He nodded so slightly it was barely there.
“Love goes wrong because of the two people involved,” she told him. “It doesn’t have to be that way for us, not if we’re willing to work at it.”
He stroked beneath the fall of hair at her nape. “Loving you isn’t work. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop trying to help you in any way I can.”