"No." I stopped him, pressing a finger to his lips. I crawled over him, resting back on his strong thighs. "Don't say that."

"It's true."

"Stop it. Blake, what happened back there...wasn't easy for me."

His eyes dimmed. "I know I pushed you, and I shouldn't have."

"I took a risk going there. I know that. But seeing what goes on there, knowing that was a place that brought you solace..." I licked my lips, nervous about what I was about to ask, because I wanted to be what he needed. "I don't know if I'll ever be like those girls."

"You'll never be like them."

"But are you going to resent me because I haven't done those things or maybe never will be able to?"

He winced. "No. Of course not. Baby, of all of my kinks, wanting to do them in front of a bunch of perverts isn't one of them."

I laughed, relief filling the place where all my worry had taken up residence this past week.

"I guess I worry about not being as experienced as you want me to be. Maybe that's why I couldn't let this go."

He brushed his knuckle across my cheek. "I want to do everything with you. Seeing your face when I give you a new kind of pleasure is more than half the fun. I'm in no rush to use up my bag of tricks on you and transform you into a connoisseur of kink."

My hand found the edge of his shirt. I pushed it up, lazily stroking the soft skin of his abdomen.

"You're the pro."

He smiled. "I don't think of it like that. But if I am, think of the results as practice for giving you a lifetime of mind-bending sex."

"Can't argue with that."

"I'm glad. We've had enough of that for one night."

I closed my eyes and leaned into his gentle touches. "I shouldn't have gone there without you."

"And I should have told you about the club when you asked. I didn't want to think about that part of my life or the person I used to be."

"I know how that feels too, but I've shown you my past. It hasn't always been easy or pretty, but I've never trusted anyone else with it the way I have with you. No one's ever been strong enough to handle it without judging me or making everything hurt all over again. You're strong enough. And so am I. Trust me with it."

He feathered a touch along my jaw, pushing a damp strand of hair back from my face. "I do trust you," he murmured.

"Then don't hide from me. We're sharing a life, Blake. You're my home. You're everything to me."

Lips parted, he held me close against him. His eyes were bright green, staring deeply into me. "You're in my soul, Erica. I couldn't hide from you if I tried. Just..."

I knit my brows together. "What?"

"Just be careful while you're in there, okay? You have more control than you think."

My heart seized, love pulsing out from the center of me through every limb, making me warm and soft in his arms. My lips trembled. Heaviness lifted. I traced the lines of his face in wonder, so in love with this man.

"Thank you," I whispered, seconds before he captured my lips in a kiss. Deep and passionate. I drank in his addictive scent, the essence of his tongue sweeping over mine. One kiss melted into the next. Soft licks went deeper, devouring.

"I need you now."

I nodded, the flash of desire hot on my exposed skin. The terry of the towel itched over the places where I wanted his touch. As if reading my mind, he reached for the large knot and loosened it from between my breasts. Baring me before him, he let out a breath. His gaze followed his touch, down my arms, kneading my breasts.

"Love your tits. Perfection." He thumbed over the sensitive peaks before sucking each one into his mouth. Gently, and then harder, grazing his teeth until I jolted under the pressure. The sharp edge arrowed to my core, making me hungry for him all over again. He kept on, teasing and torturing until they were both tender, swollen, and pink from his kisses and soft bites.

Leaning in, he kissed and licked the valley between my breasts. "I could lick every inch of you. One day, I just might. But tonight I can't be that patient."

I sifted my fingers through his hair, tugging gently, letting him know without words that I was burning for him too. He thrust his hips up with a rumbling growl, but otherwise he didn't act on his urgency. Mouth moving over my skin, hands restless over my curves, he kept us climbing, slowly. My breathing had changed into soft pants. I was ready to explode. I'd been so built up over the course of the night, I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

I stilled his movements, forcing his gaze to mine. There, lust and dark craving mingled. "Tell me what you want, Blake."

He licked his lower lip. A stab of need shot through my core. I undulated over him, brushing against his still clothed body, wishing he were inside me already.

With a firm hand, he stilled me. "You're all I want. Just this, just us."

"Then take me," I whispered against his lips.

I reached for the edge of his shirt and tugged it off. I went for his zipper, and he lifted his hips, shoving his jeans and boxers down just enough to free his engorged cock.

I reached for him eagerly. His velvet skin slid warm against my fingertips. I circled him, loving the way his eyes went dark when I touched him this way. He sucked in a sharp breath, lifting his pelvis into my grasp. I gazed up at him through the veil of my lashes.

"I want you inside me, Blake. I don't want to wait anymore."

My chest rose and fell in time with his. With my legs wrapped around him, he lifted us and stumbled forward, bringing us to the floor. The rug was soft and forgiving over the hard wood. He moved over me like an animal seizing his prey, making my pussy clench, hungry to be filled. He found his place between my thighs and took what was his.

I groaned in satisfaction and toed his pants down to his calves. I tried to touch him everywhere. The muscles of his back bunched under my hands as I lifted into his thrusts.

He gasped, increasing his pace. He cupped my ass, lifting me higher so his cock dragged over the sensitive bundles of nerves inside. I closed my eyes against the overwhelming sensation. My thighs gripped him, and light and color flashed behind my eyes.

"Look at me." His voice was full of gravel and need.

I opened my eyes. A look of love softened the lines around his eyes. I reached up, my hands restless over the muscles that flinched with his efforts.

I wanted to touch him, to soothe him and tell him without words how much he meant to me. His heart beat against me, his body white hot around me, inside me. When I couldn't find the words, my body spoke the truth.

Love wasn't enough. This-our bodies together-was more.

His hips hit mine with a strong thrust. I cried out his name, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Blake...I love you," I sobbed with pleasure.

Vulnerability swam behind his glittering eyes, a silent answer to my proclamation. Wrapping his arms tightly around me, he silenced me with a deep kiss. He swallowed my cries, every breath. He was everywhere. We were as close as two people could be. I clawed at his sides, bowing off the floor and into his strong embrace.

Hips moving like pistons, he took us over the edge.

"I love you, Erica. God, I love you so much."

I came apart, tears burning behind my eyes.

My swollen eyes opened and I groaned at the sight of morning spilling into the room. My body hurt, fatigue and a general achiness that I couldn't quite pinpoint. I felt Blake's touch on my back. I flinched when he grazed over a particular spot on my shoulder blade.

"Ouch."

He pressed his lips to it. "Rug burn."

I groaned again and turned my face into the pillow as memories from last night flooded my brain. Jesus. What a night.

"See, this is why we need a bigger place," he said.

I turned to face him. His dark hair was a mess, spiking in every direction from sleep and...other things. But he looked more rested than I felt. He looked content, and that warmed me through.

"Why do you say that?"

"I need more rooms to fuck you in. Or at least more surfaces."

I giggled. "You're crazy."

A content smile spread across his lips. "Yeah, well, that's your fault."

I rolled to my back and stretched. The sheet slipped, baring my chest to him.

He moaned, his gaze roving over me hungrily. "What are you doing today?" he asked suggestively.

I closed my eyes, my ever-full daily calendar appearing behind them. "I have a million things."

His lips came over my nipple. "I guess that means I can't hold you hostage here."

I moaned and arched into his mouth. "I don't think Alli would allow that. I have a dress fitting. I have a meeting with Geoff too, to go over some of my questions."

He lifted up on his elbow, staring down at me with affection.

"What are you going to tell him?"

I pulled the sheet up over me and shifted to my side. I drew tiny circles over Blake's chest, tracing the beautiful curves of his body. I couldn't imagine him in any pose that would diminish my complete and utter awe of his body.

"Erica?"

"Hmm?"

His eyes were still lazy and low-lidded from sleep. "What are you going to tell Geoff?"

I hummed with a smile. "Sorry, I was just cataloguing your most gorgeous qualities."

He laughed. "After last night, I wasn't sure you'd ever talk to me again."

"I can't say I'd do it all over again." I fell back against the pillow. "Well, maybe some of it."

"Don't do crazy shit like that anymore, okay? I mean it."

I met his serious gaze with a tentative one of my own. Going to the club alone had been a stupid move. I could have let him come around with it, but there was something about knowing I was going to marry the man that made it impossible for me to handle secrets between us. No matter how far into the past they were lodged, no matter how far away we'd come from them. I'd shown him everything. Every scar, every insecurity. Finally, we were on our way to turning the tables and Blake trusting me with the shadows from his past too.

"I won't as long as you make me a promise."

He was silent for a moment. "We're not back to ultimatums, are we?"

"I'm not a fan of ultimatums, but you wanted me to give you my trust. It's a two-way street. I don't want any secrets between us. If you don't trust me not to do things like I did last night, don't ever give me a reason to consider it."

I looked down, running my finger along the edge of the sheet. The memory of Sophia's words rattled through me. She'd sent me on this journey, and she'd threatened the validity of what Blake and I had. I hated her for it because she didn't believe we'd survive if I knew Blake's past. I wanted to prove her wrong in every way.

"I don't know what was worse, listening to the terrible things she said to me or feeling like I was in the dark about your past."

He toyed with a strand of my hair. "No more secrets."

I looked up, hopeful. "Promise me."

"I promise."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

The next couple days were filled with preparations for the sale. We broke the news to James and Chris, whose shock was soon followed with support. The decision had been made swiftly, and the execution of it was right on my heels. Everything was happening so quickly, a circumstance that made it easier to quell the anxiety we all seemed to have around the impending transition.

I was days away from signing a piece of paper that, to the rest of the world, meant that the business as we knew it no longer belonged to us, but to Alex Hutchinson. A seasoned businessperson, a mogul, a man with vision we could only hope aligned with ours.

When Alex walked into the office on Friday morning, the air was heavy with anticipation. An edgy energy rippled off him as he sifted through the papers we had to sign. The past couple times we'd met in person, I couldn't get a read on him. Then again, I didn't know him that well. He was Blake's colleague more than mine, until recently.

Focused on the logistics of making the sale transition, I skimmed over the documents I'd already reviewed numerous times. Dozens of papers passed between us. I signed them all with trembling hands, trying to ignore the emotion tingling in my throat.

Maybe I was allowed to be emotional this one time, but I couldn't bring myself to lose it. I still had to work with Alex, and I wanted him to believe I was stronger than I sometimes appeared. I'd made this decision on my own. I'd written this chapter, and I wasn't going to end it in tears, at least not in front of him.

Then it was done.

The whole process took less than five minutes. I dropped my well-used pen and sat back. Alex held out his hand, the tension around him seeming to ease, the colleague I'd been used to shining through again.

"Congrats, Erica."

I shook his hand firmly. "Thank you."