Page 170 of Guarded King

Our breaths mingle, our hearts beat in sync, and our mouths hover a fraction of an inch apart.

Here, surrounded by him, filled by him, I’ve never felt safer.

I cup his cheeks, loving the faint rasp of stubble against my palms. “I can’t get enough of this with you.”

His chest vibrates against me. “Then I hope you’re ready for what comes next.”

I tip my head back, my brows drawing together. “What comes next?”

Mouth pressing to mine, he kisses me slowly, softly, the sensation so perfect it makes my toes curl.

He’s smiling when he pulls back. “Forever, sweetheart. What comes next is forever.”

EPILOGUE

CHLOE

With a hand on my back, Roman guides me through the large glass doors.

The gallery is full of people with champagne flutes in hand as they admire the paintings hanging throughout the space.

Excitement prickles over my skin. I can’t believe this moment is here. So much has changed in the year since I moved in with Roman.

If I thought my heart was full before, it’s bursting now.

I look up at Roman’s too-handsome face. “Let’s find Dad and Carol.”

Lips curving, he nods toward the bar. “Looks like they’re holding court over there.” He clasps my hand in his big one and leads me toward the small group gathered around the guest of honor.

“Chloe,” Dad calls when he sees me, a wide smile making his eyes crinkle.

The people around him part, and I throw my arms around him. Breathing in the familiar scents of paint and turpentine has joy radiating through me.

“I’m so proud of you,” I whisper in his ear.

He squeezes me tight. “I owe it to you, love. You took care of me when I couldn’t take care of myself. I’d be spoiling you now if you didn’t already have someone doing that job for me.”

He lets me go as Roman steps up beside me.

With his hand out, the beautiful man who escorted me tonight says, “Congratulations, Rick. Looks like opening night is a success.”

“More than I could have imagined.”

Carol embraces me next, then steps back and holds me by the upper arms. “You look absolutely stunning.”

My cheeks heat, and I glance down, smoothing my hands over my blue satin sheath dress. “This old thing?”

She laughs. “You make that old thing look brand new.” With a sigh, she smiles at Dad. “Don’t they make a beautiful couple?”

His eyes are bright with happiness and affection. “They do.”

Roman slides his arm around my waist and pulls me close. I miss what he says in response, because even though we’ve been together publicly for the last twelve months, the smooth possessiveness of the move still has the power to make the world around me fade away.

Except I don’t want to miss any of tonight. I gaze around at the walls of the gallery, at the paintings of New York displayed on the various surfaces. The show is on the smaller side, since Dad still has limitations. But the finite supply only seems to increase the demand.

Since hisEmpty Kingdompiece was featured inForbes, there’s been a surge of interest in his work. Because he had to begin again from scratch, he was forced to start a waiting list. That, in turn, only made people more eager.

When this gallery reached out asking if they could host a showing of his work, Dad jumped at the chance. A lot of these paintings are already spoken for, and from the hum in the room,I get the feeling that those that aren’t will be taken by the end of the night.