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"You know you do." I clear my throat. "Why didn’t you tell me you were stepping down as CEO?”
His gaze grows wary. “I was going to tell you. But I thought it would be best if I waited until after your show. I didn’t want to distract you.” He looks from me to the phone in my hand. “Goddam Arthur, I told him not to send out the press release until tomorrow, but he couldn’t wait to spin this into another PR story.”
He takes a step in my direction, but I shake my head. ”No, no, we need to talk about this. Firstly, I’m pissed you didn’t speak with me before you resigned.”
His eyebrows shoot up.
“Secondly, why would you do this? It’s what you wanted," I choke out.
"You are what I want."
His voice has a ring of authenticity to it. His features indicate he’s giving me his full attention, and the intensity in his gaze, the way he watches me closely and with his entire body and mind and soul, turns that flesh between my legs into a mass of throbbing need. Oh God, he speaks to my mind, my body, and my soul. He speaks to me. Always.
“And you're right.”
Did he admit I'm right? Did Quentin Davenport, my alpha male, dominant and egoistical to the core husband agree with me?
“Excuse me?” I sound shocked... because I am.
He runs his hand over the hair on his head, hair which he’s allowed to grow out of his military haircut because I prefer him this way. Another subtle nod toward taking my preferences into consideration.
“I wanted to wait until after the show to tell you I was stepping down as CEO, so it didn’t distract you. I hadn’t counted on Arthur, once again, releasing the information publicly and beating me to it. In fact”—he shuffles his feet—“I should have consulted you before I told Arthur.” He lowers his chin. “And I promise to do so in the future. I promise to talk over such important changes before I make them.”
“So, what stopped you this time?” I frown.
“I wanted to surprise you, and I truly didn’t think it was so important that I should mention it to you before the first really important showing of your life.”
“Oh, Q.” I lock my fingers together. “What’s important to you is important to me, too. You like taking care of me. Well, I like taking care of you too. But I need you to give me the chance to do so. I need you to trust me enough?—”
“I do trust you,” he interjects.
“—to share all of your thoughts with me.”
“And I will; I promise you, baby.” His voice is soft, and the look in his eyes is so adoring, my stomach flutters, and a soft sensation overcomes my chest.
He’s so damn charming, this man.
“That is the last time I forgive you for such an oversight,” I warn, before I lose myself completely in those deep blue eyes of his.
“That’s the last time I let myself commit such an oversight,” he says fervently. “You’re my better half. My wife. My partner. You’re the most important person in my life. I promise to never make a decision affecting both of us without you.”
A warmth spreads through my chest. My entire body feels lighter. I never thought I’d hear Q say that. That he’d discuss things with me, instead of making unilateral decisions on issues that affect the both of us? That’s true partnership. A real relationship. A real... marriage.
But a small part of me insists he’s saying what I want to hear. My husband’s a wordsmith, after all. He knows me well enough to say and do things that’ll sway me completely, right? Right? I shake my head, to clear it. "B-but the CEO position was important to you.”
“Not more than you,” he interjects.
“Isn’t the reason you married me, so you could satisfy your father’s stipulation and retain your position as CEO?”
“I married you because I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you, and I didn’t want to wait a second longer to make you my wife.”
A thousand electric bulbs seem to light up my body. I’ll never get tired of him telling me that. Never.
"Where you’re concerned, I lose my sanity. You’re my Raven. My North Star. The compass that guides me. Without you, I’m nothing. Without you, no part of my life makes sense. Everything else fades into insignificance. It’s always been you, only you, from the moment I saw you. Everything in my life has been leading me to you. I did the right thing in asking you to marry me as soon as I saw you, but I should have come out and told you why. I was a coward."
Oh my god, that has to be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. If I had any doubt that he loves me, this little speech dispelled that. And it couldn’t have been easy for him to say that. It couldn’t have been easy to tell me what was on his mind and expose himself completely like this.
"You’re not a coward." I half laugh. "You’re the most courageous man I know."
