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alex

I always knew Anastasia was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, but I hadn’t realized how incredibly sexy she was.

I just had to accept that I would be perpetually rock hard around her.

All I had wanted to do tonight was give her an experience that made her feel safe, and the fact that she felt comfortable enough to do it with me made my heart ache in the most beautifully painful way.

She was mine, and I was never going to let her go.

I was glad that we somehow came to an unspoken agreement that kissing was saved for just us.

But damn the way her mouth moved along Selena’s pussy.

The way her hips bucked, taking my cock deep into her tight wetness.

She was everything I could have asked for and more.

But what I think I was falling more in love with was the fact that she was morphing into a beautiful butterfly. She was so fucking resilient for everything she went through in her life. She walked around and acted like it was no big deal, but we never really talked about what happened.

And after tonight, I saw her wings. They had grown, and they were fucking beautiful.

Sure, they were a little jagged around the edges, but she found her voice, her control, her damn independence.

She was more than Anastasia, the girl whose husband broke her legs.

She was also more than just Anastasia, the mom, the dispatcher, the friend. ..

She was very simply one thing . . . mine.

I lay back on the bed, not moving, before I looked over at her. She was lying on her back next to me after having said bye to Selena. Her eyes were closed, and she looked so peaceful.

“A penny for your thoughts?” I asked.

“Mmm,” she responded.

She sounded peaceful, though, like I’d disturbed whatever she was thinking about.

“I want to go back to our room and shower.” She rolled onto her side, and a grin formed on my lips.

“Let’s go then.”

She looked down at herself. “I’m naked, and I don’t want to put my stuffy lingerie back on... I can put my dress on without...”

“Put on the robe.” I gestured to the back of the door, where Selena had taken one.

Anastasia laughed. “No. I can’t walk down the hallway, through the lobby, and to our room in only a robe.”

“Says who? It’s one a.m. Let’s go.”

She stood up, and I swear, seeing her naked body made it so hard not to take her again.

“Okay,” she laughed. “Come on.”

She grabbed a robe, and I scooped up her dress, throwing on my pants, not bothering with a shirt.

“This is ridiculous,” Anastasia said, laughing as we walked down the hallway.

It had gotten a little quieter since we’d arrived, and most people were likely turning in for the night. Neither of us said anything about Dirks, and I figured that was a conversation for when we were in private.

I grabbed our phones from the front door security and clicked it on to make sure Cole hadn’t called or texted about Damien.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

I nodded and pressed the down button for the elevator.

“This was the best night of my life.” Anastasia sighed as she walked into the elevator barefoot and leaned back against the wall.

As much as I wanted to walk over, grab her, and hold her tightly to my chest, I could sense she needed some space, too.

Silence surrounded us as we headed down, just the two of us in the elevator.

“You told me you loved me,” she whispered.

I looked over at her, clothes piled in one hand, before turning back toward the door. “I do.”

Everything ached for her. Love was such a silly word in comparison to what I felt for Anastasia. I didn’t love her, I was consumed by her. I wanted to protect her, cherish her, help her in every way she wanted.

“No,” I shook my head. “I don’t just love you, Anastasia. I breathe for you and Damien. I always have.”

She turned toward me and took three steps in my direction before flinging herself at me and wrapping her arms around my neck. I dropped the clothes and grabbed her by her waist, very aware she was naked beneath her satin robe. She pressed against me as her lips collided with mine.

Her kiss consumed me. The way she smelled, the way her hair, which was usually slicked back, fell down straight past her shoulders in her ponytail. She had a beautiful, angular face, and her bright blue eyes were pools of desire. She was everything.

“You’re mine,” I whispered.

The elevator dinged, reminding us we were in the very public lobby as Anastasia pulled away.

I handed her the pile of clothes. “Hold these.”

She held them against her breasts, covering her nipples, and then dashed out, barefoot, through the marbled lobby. Her robe had come undone, and only the clothes were covering her bits.

“Miss,” someone yelled, “you can’t be naked in the hallway.” An exasperated sigh came from the front desk.

I walked leisurely behind her, shooting a warning glance at whoever was behind the desk. Do not fuck with her, or you’ll have to deal with me —that’s what I hoped my look conveyed.

Anastasia’s blonde hair bounced as she ran through the hallway down to the public elevator. She was breathless by the time the elevator doors slid shut, and as it ascended, Anastasia broke into a fit of giggles.

Her laughter was the best thing I had ever heard, second only to Damien’s. It was infectious and pure, a sound that seemed to light up the confined space of the elevator. I could listen to it all day. And she laughed all the way down the hallway.