Chapter 38
Kaylee
"How is she?"
I jolt at the sound of the voice.
"Sorry," Ellis says as he pushes himself off the wall across from the room I just left Morgan in.
"I'm jumpy," I explain, giving him a small smile.
"Understandable," he says.
"She's finally asleep, but I think she took something to help her get there."
"I can't even imagine going through something like what you've been through tonight, Kaylee. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'll be alright," I assure him, stepping forward and not missing a beat to walk into his chest when he holds his arms open for me. "Did they find anything out?"
"No," he says, and I can tell by the tone in his voice that he isn't really impressed with the lack of information they've been able to find on this guy.
"What aren't you saying?"
"Let's go to our room," he says, turning us and guiding me further down the hall.
I smile when I think about the availability now of an empty room but when I came to the villa, there weren't any. I can't say I'm upset that I spent my time in the same room as him rather than being alone in a different one.
Once closed inside our room, he holds me at arm's length, once again looking over my body to make sure I'm as okay as I've been telling him I am.
"I'm fine," I assure him, but I know he can see that I'm not exactly sure if that's true.
I know the mental damage of what happened tonight will linger for a long time, but I don't know how to assure him that I feel completely safe with him. I know he'd sacrifice his own safety to ensure mine, and that will go a very long way in healing me.
"He's a professional," he mutters after a long beat of silence.
"What does that mean?" I whisper, my arms coming up to wrap around my body, another hint of fear hitting me in the chest.
"It means they found no trace of him. There were no fingerprints and no video images. He knew where to stand and how to approach the house to avoid detection. We don't think he's linked to DimaTkachenko. He's too skilled."
"So he's worse than those guys?" I presume.
He swallows as his eyes search mine. "Possibly."
"What does that mean for Morgan?"
He shakes his head. "I don't know."
I cover my mouth with my hand, fear threatening to take over every sense.
He pulls me to his chest once again. "You're safe here. She's safe here."
He doesn't know Morgan as well as I do. Fear won't keep her here. Boredom will win out, and she'll put herself in danger in order to feel alive. She may be safe right now, but tomorrow will be a totally different day.
His hand is warm on my face, and I look up at him when he urges my gaze in that direction.
"I'll never let any harm come to you, ever again. You're mine, Kaylee. Mine to protect." His thumb swipes slowly over my cheek, pulling the tears from my face. "Mine to love."
"Ellis," I whisper, my eyes blinking a few more tears free.
His lips meet mine, and although it has been the most insane night, this feels right, me in his arms, his promises filling the air around us. I no longer doubt this man, and I hate that I allowed something as simple as miscommunication and trauma from my past a chance to ruin what we have. I don't know what I would've done if I had lost him forever. I do know that I would've spent a very long time miserable, and there's a good chance I never would've been happy again.
"I'm so sorry," I say, a sob getting caught in my throat.
"No," he whispers, his other hand coming up to cup the opposite side of my face. "We're not going to make apologies. I want to move forward, Kaylee. We don't have to dwell on the past mistakes we've made."
I dip my head in understanding, grateful he won't spend the day to come, blaming me for punishing him because of the damage that Troy caused.
Instead of letting me get lost in those regrets, he kisses me. It's soft and slow at first, his tongue softly seeking mine, but like it has been every other time we've kissed, it doesn't take long before the fire is lit inside both of us.
My arms wrap around his body, and as hard as I try to fight the urge to climb inside of him, he seems just as eager, lifting me easily and walking us to the bed.
"You're sure?" he asks with a roll of his hips, his body already ready for exactly what mine needs.
I peer up at him, swallowing some of my need so I don't seem like a sex-crazed lunatic. My breaths are uneven, my body urging me to lean back in for another kiss, but I know the importance of this. I know what he's asking.
What happens next is more than just two bodies finally coming together.
If we take this to the next level, I'm shunning the annulment and telling him that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.
It's the easiest decision I think I've ever made in my life.
I nod, giving him a smile when his face lights up above mine.
"Really?" he whispers, double-checking just to make sure.
"Yes," I whisper.
But then, in the next breath, instead of pulling my shirt over my head or helping me shuck off my leggings, he stands from the bed and fishes into his pocket.
"What are you doing?" I ask, but then he's standing there with a velvet box in his hands.
"You need to wear this."
"That is not the band we got married with," I say, looking at the diamond shining alongside the matching wedding band.
"This is what we should've gotten married with," he says. "Stay married to me?"
I can't verify with a hundred percent accuracy if he'd even let me say no to him because he's pushing the beautiful rings onto my left hand before I can respond.
He curls a finger under my chin when I can't stop looking at them on my hand.
"Forever," he whispers. "You're my forever."
When I smile, it's as if it somehow activates the frenzy in both of us.
His hands roam over my body, and mine do the same on him as we shed each other's clothing.
It feels like every breath, every word, every second since we met has been leading up to this.
It's our reward for all of it, and we're not going to let anything stand in the way of celebrating how far we've come.
"Slow down," he whispers when I step into him and wrap my hands around his straining erection.
I pull in a deep breath, narrowing my eyes when he laughs at how strained it sounds.
"Don't laugh at me," I mutter, attempting to take a step back, but his arm wraps around my middle and he pulls me into his chest, trapping the heat of his cock between us.
"I'll be saying the same thing when I come in half a minute if we don't slow things down," he says, his lips against mine.
I swallow, understanding exactly what he means. I know this needs to be special, and it'll be perfect however it happens, but I fully understand where he's coming from. My body is on fire, burning with such a strong sense of urgency for him to finally be inside of me that it has the ability to drive me insane if we wait too much longer before it happens.
"I just need you," I confess.
"And I need you," he says, covering my body with his.
The weight and warmth of his skin against mine is sheer perfection, and I know it's going to be something I long for every day.
"We're going to go slow," he says, but his hips are rolling, his cock leaving the evidence of his need on my skin, and it only makes me ache for him further.
"Okay," I say, but his laughter with the speed at which I agree makes it known that unless he controls everything, I won't be able to help myself.
If it were up to me, I'd toss this man to his back and spear myself on his cock in the same breath.
"Ready?" he asks, his lips moving over the skin on my neck.
I moan my approval, holding my breath as he pulls his hips back.
I spread for him, giving him the access to my body that I've been protecting all this time.
There's no doubt when he nudges right at the perfect spot, that this is how it was always meant to be.
We weren't supposed to do this that night in the hot tub or the next day in the shower. I wasn't meant to climb into the back seat of the SUV and give this to him then.
Now.
It was always supposed to be now.
My mouth opens on a soundless moan when he pushes forward, filling me for the first time.
Maybe I'm a dreamer now, although I've never been one to partake in living in a fantasy world, but this is the epitome of perfection—the pull, the burn, the stretch, the ache that eases other aches. It's more than I ever imagined it could be.
It seems unreal just how perfect he is for me, and I dig my nails into his back, holding on in fear that I could lose what we have. But instead of calling me out on it, he leans in, pressing his lips to mine as he also holds me closer.
He whispers my name as he pulls his hips back, the drag of him inside of me igniting an even larger fire.
I whisper his name, knowing the weight of his body on mine is the only thing holding me down.
My body trembles, my knees feeling weak despite being on my back.
"Kaylee," he groans, repositioning again until he presses forward, striking at something deep inside that makes my vision swim with pleasure.
He lifts my leg, draping it over his arm, much the same way he did in the SUV, and it opens me for him, allowing him to press closer.
I swim in ecstasy with him, my body playing a song that only he knows the words to, and it's heaven.
A deeper ache comes alive, a throb of urgency that he seems to understand. Ellis feeds that ache, giving me exactly what I need.
"Ellis," I pant once again.
"Me too, baby."
We explode as if it was choreographed, as if we have been practicing this dance for years, and reaching the top of the mountain in tandem was always the goal.
My body shakes, and I can't tell which pulses are his and which are mine, but in the end, it doesn't even matter.
In the end, I'm in his arms, trying to catch my breath.
In the end, he whispers that I'm his anchor too.