Page 271 of Damaged Mogul

“Nothing.” I shake my head.

“Don’t bullshit me.”

“It’s just…”

“Tell me.”

“I’ve never felt truly loved before,” I say. “It just hit me.” Another shaky breath. “I mean, Mama loved me and Nads loves me, but it’s different. The way you love me is…”

“The way I love you is everything, Lily. My love for you redefines who I am as a man.” He holds me in his warm embrace for several breaths.

When he pulls out of me, I moan my disapproval. “Why can’t we stay like this forever?”

“Because…”

He helps me up and adjusts my chemise.

I turn to face him. “Are you going to finish your thought?”

He cups my face and pulls me into a fierce, hard kiss that takes my breath away.

My spent, weary body melts against his strong one.

This man…

He breaks our heated embrace. “Because I missed your mouth on mine and because I need to get my sexy fiancée upstairsfor round two.”

“I haven’t caught my breath yet.”

“I have to make up for the last two weeks.”

Giddiness fizzes through me, but I pretend to be unaffected. “You don’t have to do it all in one evening, Hollingsworth.”

“Tu m’as beaucoup manqué, mon ange,”he says. “You were missing from me, angel.”

He prefers the word for word translation from French to English.

So do I.

“Tu m’as beaucoup manqué, mon amour,”I say.

Translation:I missed you so much, my love.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now, let’s go upstairs so you can correct the error of your ways.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“When you came, you called out God’s name. He’s great and all, but I want to hear you scream outmyname at the top of your lungs.”

I laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

He joins me.

Of all the wonderful things about my husband-to-be, his laugh is my greatest gift.

“Let’s go, soon-to-be Mrs. Hollingsworth. I need to be inside you again.”

I take the hand he extends.

I love this man so much, I’d follow him to the ends of the earth.