Page 18 of Contentious

He could feel her lips curve into a smile against his neck.

“Me, too. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, for you to come to your senses…”

“I hope I never, ever, ever come to my senses. The last place I want to be is in reality when this is so much better than anything has ever been.”

“For me, too. I feel like I’m walking around in a dream state or something.”

“Same goes for me, and it’s a problem when I’m at work and all I want to think about is you and how amazing it feels to be with you like this.”

Isla groaned when his cock got hard again while he was still inside her. “No more. You’re going to break me, and I’ve got kids to wrangle today.”

“Fine. Be that way.” He withdrew from her and settled next to her for one more cuddle before he had to let her go for the day. “Are we still planning to run away for a while?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

“And…?”

“You’ve said your brother Jackson is your associate, which means he covers for you when you’re away, right?”

“Yep.”

“I just wonder if… Never mind. It’s none of my business.”

Julian pushed himself up on an elbow. “Everything about me and my life is your business. I want to hear whatever you want to say.”

“It seems like you leaving town the second the shit hits the fan wouldn’t be fair to Jackson because he can’t do the same, and the others might resent you because they look to you for guidance at times like this. At least that’s how it seemed to me last night for the short time I was with them. They were all waiting to hear what you had to say.”

He groaned and flopped onto the bed.

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, hon, it’s fine. You’re right. About all of it. My groan was realizing I can’t run away without hurting them, which is the last thing I’d ever want to do. Especially right now.”

“Because they’re upset about me.”

“They’re upset about a lot of things.”

“Mostly about you behaving so differently all of a sudden.”

“It has everything to do with our parents and their bullshit. You can’t take it personally. I have no doubt they’ll love you as much as I do when they have the chance to get to know you better.”

“They don’t want to know me, Julian. They want me to go away so you can return to normal.”

“The only thing that matters is what I want, and I want you and your kids and this life we’re creating together. I don’t want you to worry about me changing my mind or getting cold feet or whatever has you frowning like that. I’ve never had with anyone what I do with you. I never even knew this existed, and now that I have it…”

“What?”

“I’ll never let you go unless you tell me you don’t want me anymore.”

“That won’t happen.”

“For me either. Please believe me, Isla. I love my brothers and sisters with all my heart. We’ve been through everything together, and I’ll always want to keep them close. But they don’t get to decide who I love or how I spend my life. Only I make those choices, and I’ve chosen you. End of story.”

She smiled, which made him feel a little better as the frown turned upside down. “I’d like to think it’s just the beginning of our story.”

“It is, and we’re going to write that story together. Over time, my family will come to see how very lucky I am to have you as my partner in all things.”

“I hope so.”