Page 172 of Guarded King

Tipping my head back, I meet his gaze. What I see in his expression makes my heart swell. It’s full of love and heat and a possessiveness that makes my pulse speed up.

I give him a coy smile. “There’s only one thing that could make me happier right now.”

His gaze darkens as he drifts his thumb over my bottom lip. “What’s that, sweetheart?”

My tongue darts out to taste his skin, and when his breath catches, a thrill shivers through me.

“The one thing that could make me happier right now is… a big bowl of ice cream.”

I squeal as he drags me over him, positioning me so that my knees are on either side of his thighs and my core is centered over the hard ridge in his pants. “I’ll give you cream, but it won’t be cold. It’ll be very hot, and you can have as much of it as you want.”

The way his mouth curls up at the corners and the smile lines around his eyes deepen only makes me happier. I don’t have time to admire the expression much, though, because in the next moment, he’s kissing me, and I’m swept up in the taste of him.

When my eyes flutter open,it’s still dark in our room, but the glowing digits of the bedside clock tell me it’s just before dawn.

My body is pleasantly achy from our exertions—Roman was even more intense than usual, making me come over and over before finally letting himself go.

I should have slept for hours longer. Instead, I have an urge to get up and watch the sun rise over the city.

Doing my best not to disturb the sleeping man beside me, I slide out of bed, wrap a robe around myself, and pad quietly out of the room.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, the faintest streak of pink and gold brightens the horizon. I can’t help but smile as the first of the sun’s rays brush the tops ofthe buildings while the streets below and Central Park remain shrouded in shadow.

I sense Roman behind me rather than hear him. That prickle of heat against my skin, the warmth that infuses my body. I lean back before he even speaks, knowing he’ll be there to pull me against him.

His chest is bare, but he’s wearing pajama pants.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” I say, resting my hands on his forearms.

“I’m surprised you’re up. I thought I exhausted you last night.”

I laugh, even as my core clenches at the memory. “You did.”

“Something on your mind, then?” He rests his chin on my head and the two of us watch the new day unfolding in front of us.

“Nothing bad. Just… happiness, I think. I feel so full of it; it’s making me restless. Maybe I need to do some painting.”

“Maybe.” His voice sounds thoughtful.

I angle my face up to see his expression. His eyes are dark when they meet mine.

“Are you happy?” I ask softly. My life has changed in so many ways over the last year, yet his really hasn’t. He’s still the CEO, and he still works hard, though nowhere near as much as he did. His relationship with his family is still developing, still growing deeper.

But essentially, his life is the same apart from having a live-in girlfriend.

“I’m not sure happy is the word I’d use to describe it.”

My heart does a little stutter. He’s not happy?

He releases me, then guides me by my shoulders until I’m facing him. With a tender touch, he strokes my hair back from my face.

“The first time I saw your smile, when you were standing in that elevator next to Lena,” he says, “there was a part of me that knew I would never want to stop seeing it. That’s why I was so terrified when I found you standing outside my office like a damn angel come to tempt me.”

I blink up at him, nerves rioting in my stomach, because I don’t understand what any of this has to do with why he’s not happy anymore.

His lips curve, and he dusts his thumb over my mouth. “That turned out to be true, but I’ll never regret allowing myself to be tempted. You showed me that I was punishing myself for Dad’s mistakes, that love isn’t a weakness, that it’s what makes us stronger.”

Reassured, I rise onto my toes and press a kiss to the bare skin over his heart. “You’re so strong because you have so much love inside you. You just didn’t realize it.”