He tosses the towels into a hamper, then takes me into his bedroom. A lamp is on low in the corner of the room, but the space is mostly bathed in shadows. The sun will start to rise in a few hours.

Keegan puts in a lot of hours in the pub. But he’s never too tired to spend quality time with me after a long day of work.

He lays me down on the bed, and joins me, stretched out next to me. His fingers glide over my belly, which is definitely not as defined as his, and then up to my breasts.

“I’ve been with women before you,” he says, at last, breaking the silence of the room. “I’m not innocent. But there was always something missing, something lacking. It made me believe that I wasn’t cut out for a relationship. But then I met you, and I suddenly understood what all the fuss was about.”

My eyes meet his in surprise. “That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

He kisses my cheek, my chin, and then my lips as he links his fingers with mine and urges me onto my back.

“Everything about you is a new discovery. You make me crazy with wanting you. I can’t keep my eyes off of you, Isabella. And it’s going to sound macho, but I don’t give a shit. You’re mine. In every sense of the word, you’re mine.”

I moan and arch my back as he slides into me. This man—and everything he is—is pure decadence. He makes me feel feminine, desired, and loved.

And I should know because I’ve gone without love for a lot of my life.

My hands grip his ass as he moves faster, his strokes long and sure as he takes us both up and over the crest of pure sensation.

And when we’re tangled together, the light extinguished, ready to fall asleep, Keegan kisses my hair, his arms wrapped around me from behind.

“I love you, Isabella.”

I bite my lip and feel my eyes fill with tears. “I love you, too.”

Chapter 13

~Keegan~

“Move in with me.”

Izzy’s eyes are wide over her coffee cup. I sprang the question on her just as she took a sip, and she starts to cough.

We get a few looks from others in the diner, but I don’t care.

She covers her mouth with her napkin. Once she controls the coughing, she stares at me. “I’m sorry, I thought you just said to move in with you.”

“That I did, lass.”

She raises her mug back to her lips and takes a sip without coughing this time. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”