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Hayden’s nostrils flared. “I don’t know if I’m angry or sorry for you.”
I heard footsteps on the tile and turned my head towards the sound. Laurence appeared a few steps behind Hayden. His eyes widened and turned backwards. That was when I saw Paul. Our eyes connected, and my pulse sped up, and my stomach fluttered.
“Speak of the devil, and he appears,” Hayden quipped, bringing my attention back to him. The smile on Paul’s face evaporated, and he stood tall in front of Hayden.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Paul asked him in a sharp tone.
Shit.
Ben came over and stood behind me.
Hayden stared at me, but my throat closed, and I didn’t know what to say. Only what I already told him. Paul and I were together, and I loved him. He blew out his breath and glared at Paul. “Nadia’s a beautiful, kind, and talented woman. She’s also sad and frightened. Treat her better.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Paul hissed between clenched teeth.
“I’m leaving. Sorry, Nadia. I call it like I see it.”
I frowned at him. It was so rude. Was that just Hayden’s way? Insult someone or something you didn’t understand? I didn’t think I could cope with his pointing fingers. Not today.
“You’ve said enough, Hayden. Thank you for coming by to discuss the photo shoot, but please go now.” I pressed my lips together.
Hayden squared his broad shoulders and slowly turned. Paul slammed the door behind him.
“What the hell was Hayden doing here with you?” He ran his hands through his hair as he glared over at Ben. “We need to be alone, thank you both.”
Ben left, and Laurence quietly shut the door behind them.
“Hayden had come by to talk about the shoot. I’m…I’m fine,” I choked.
Paul came over to stand in front of me. “You’re not fine. Tell me the truth, not what I want to hear.”
“I…I….” A sob erupted in my throat. Paul wrapped his arms around me, and I let go of the tears I held inside. I thought I’d been doing okay. I thought I’d been handling living in a different country, having Laurence and Ben around. But Paris was the city of lovers, so each day, as I’d gone back to the house, it was couples in love I saw constantly. Possibly Xander and Wyatt hooking up had also amplified those feelings. Because Xander had been right. I wanted fun. I wanted love. But what I didn’t want was to feel so constantly alone. Paul was living his life, busy with all his commitments, and despite his words of missing me, I barely heard from him. It made me feel…it made me feel as though I wasn’t enough. He has work. But he can work anywhere…If I was enough…he wouldn’t want to be away from me. And there were Hayden’s words.
“Nadia’s a beautiful, kind, and talented woman. She’s also sad and frightened. Treat her better.” And I realized then and there that I wanted that. I was alone and had suffered trauma. Paul wanted me to live and experience everything Paris had to offer. But at what cost? My loneliness? If there was one thing I was learning, it was that I had to use my voice. I had to speak up.
“No. You’re right. I have told you what you’ve wanted to hear, but here’s the truth. I’m not fine without you, Paul. I’ve been happy in Paris, and I’ve kept busy, but no, I’m not fine. I still struggle with what happened on the boat. It still gives me nightmares, and you are never there when they happen. You are who I want in my life; that’s real to me. That’s a full life, being with the person you love. And I love you, Paul.”
He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head. “I’m so sorry, Nadia. I thought giving you time away from me was the right thing to do. But I was wrong. I just wanted you to have a choice.”
“Then you have it right now. You are my answer. I want you. I choose you. I choose us.”
Paul gazed at me with a yearning that ignited my heart. Its beats pounded at a soul’s depth. Soulmate. I believed it with all that I was. And as I stared back, I didn’t just see the handsome man who swept my life off its feet; I saw the dark corners he shared. His sadness and fears. The man who brought me into his trust, hoping I’d choose him, and I do.
Paul was always my answer. We fit together as fate would have it since we met. We were the pieces missing from each other. There never could be a lasting barrier because the force of our bond would never allow it.
“I love you, Nadia. I’m here, and I won’t leave again.” His words poured into the wound inside me, healing the broken places that burdened my spirit.
I am enough. He came back to stay.
His strong hand moved up my neck, his fingers tingling my scalp as he held my head. His mouth covered mine in passionate possession, sending a wild swirl of desire down to my core. My arms went around his neck, and I pressed closer, molding myself against him. Lust was there, and my body heated, craving his touch. We broke our kiss to catch our breath. There was also tension I carried to keep me together that loosened. It made me heavy, and I held on to him to keep myself steady. “Paul….” I couldn’t explain, but he knew what I needed. He took my weight, holding me up in his arms. My hands held the sides of his face and stroked his jaw as I stared into his eyes. Paul’s mine. My heart swelled at the warmth and tenderness in his gaze. I touched his smile. “I love you so much.” He kissed me again, and we staggered back to the bedroom, unwilling to part. I reached up to undo my tunic, and Paul covered my hands.
“I’ll take it off.” He unzipped the front, revealing I only had a thong underneath. His stare lit where it fell on my skin. My nipples tightened, and my clit throbbed with his attention. He closed his lips around my nipple and traced it with his tongue. I felt the grip of his hand on my thong as he moved it down my legs. “You’re so beautiful. And you’re all mine.” He called me his before, but this time his claim sang a melody to the spark that created me. It connected to the place inside me that waited, dormant for its other half to merge with it.
“Yes, I am.” I moved in for another kiss, and he took my lips with a ferocious hunger that curled my toes. He lifted me to the edge of the bed and placed me down. “I missed you, baby,” he whispered as he dropped his hand. “Please understand, I didn’t want to be without you.”
“I do understand.”
He took off his clothes, and my pulse went wild just seeing his strong muscular body and hard cock waiting to fill me. He came to the top of the bed and went to his knees, bringing his hard cock level with my face.
