Chapter Fourteen
Sarah
The sprawling, multi-level expanse of Julian’s penthouse was a sea of raw silk, inherited diamonds, and the clinking of Baccarat crystal.
Julian’s family had flown in from across the country for an "intimate" engagement dinner, which, in the Pierce family lexicon, meant forty of the wealthiest people in the Midwest gathering to inspect the newest addition to their bloodline.
Sarah stood near the edge of the room, her hand wrapped tightly around the stem of her champagne flute.
She wore a sleek, midnight-blue gown that she had bought with her own money—money earned from Bennett he kept her tucked securely against his side, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, projecting a completely united front.
He smoothly intercepted a glass of champagne from a passing tray and grabbed a silver fork. He tapped the crystal gently.
Clink, clink, clink.
The low murmur of high-society chatter died down immediately. Forty pairs of eyes turned toward the center of the room. Mary looked up from her martini, raising an expectant, perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"If I could have everyone's attention for a moment," Julian began, his voice carrying effortlessly across the massive room.
He possessed a natural, commanding gravity that demanded absolute silence.
"First, I want to thank you all for flying in to celebrate our engagement.
It means a great deal to have my family here. "
He turned slightly, looking down at Sarah. His eyes softened with a love so profound and visible that it made the air in the room feel thick.
"Many of you have congratulated me tonight," Julian continued, looking back out at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over his aunt and his cousins. "You've made comments about how lucky we are. But I want to be entirely clear with all of you about exactly who hit the jackpot in this relationship."
The room was pin-drop quiet. Mary’s smile faltered slightly.
"Sarah didn't just walk into my life; she rebuilt her own from the foundation up," Julian said, his tone perfectly polite but layered with an unmistakable edge of steel.
"For those of you who aren't closely following the commercial real estate sector, Bennett it was a consuming, fiery demand that carried the weight of the entire evening. Sarah let out a soft sound of surrender, her hands sliding up the lapels of his shirt to tangle in his hair.
"You were magnificent tonight," Julian murmured against her mouth, his breath hot against her skin. He trailed kisses down her jaw, finding the sensitive spot just below her ear. "Watching you stand there, knowing you're mine... it nearly drove me out of my mind."
"You didn't do so bad yourself," Sarah whispered, her voice breathless as she arched her neck, giving him better access. "I think Mary is still recovering from that toast."
Julian let out a low chuckle, but the humor quickly dissolved into raw, burning desire. He reached for the hidden zipper at the back of her gown. With a smooth, slow pull, the heavy silk parted. He slipped the fabric off her shoulders, letting it pool like liquid around her bare feet.
He picked her up effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist by pure instinct, and carried her down the hall to the master suite. The room was bathed in the silver light of the city skyline pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Julian laid her back against the cool, crisp linens of the bed. He stripped out of his own clothes with an urgency that made his hands shake slightly. When he finally followed her down onto the mattress, the contact of his bare skin against hers felt like a live wire.
He took his time, worshipping her with a slowly. His hands mapped every curve, every soft sigh she breathed into the quiet room. He kissed the hollow of her throat, the swell of her breasts, tasting her skin.
"Julian," she gasped, her fingers digging into his broad shoulders, pulling him up. "Please."
He moved over her, bracing his weight on his forearms, locking his eyes onto hers.
"I love you," Julian whispered, his voice rough with emotion.
When he slowly, deeply entered her, Julian squeezed his eyes shut.
A ragged, guttural groan tore from his chest. It felt like absolute, unadulterated heaven.
He had engineered skyscrapers and poured thousands of tons of concrete, but this—this woman wrapping around him, taking him in completely—was the only foundation that truly mattered.
He began to move, establishing a steady, powerful rhythm that drew a beautiful, shattered cry from Sarah's lips. He watched her face in the moonlight, completely captivated by the way she fell apart beneath him.
"My equal," he murmured fiercely, his body driving into hers, increasing the pace as the fire between them burned hotter. "My partner. My wife."
"Yes," Sarah sobbed, clinging to him as the sheer pleasure pushed her to the edge. "Yes, Julian."
As the blinding wave of release finally crashed over them, Julian held her tightly against his chest, burying his face in her hair. They stayed wrapped together, their hearts pounding in perfect synchrony against the backdrop of the sleeping city.
Julian pressed a tender kiss to her temple, his arms wrapped securely around her.
"Happily ever after, Sarah," he whispered into the dark, a promise he fully intended to keep. "I swear it."