I'm speechless.

I'm also a fool.

I definitely didn't know he felt like that. Like how I feel about him.

A very small smile curves my full lips. My eyes drop to his throat where his pulse hammers away in his neck. I lean in, pressing my lips over it, and allow my tongue to do a lap. I find the buttons on his shirt and begin to slowly undo them. James's hands slide onto my hips and he gives me a little tug.

Without lifting my head, my eyes shoot to his. I'm a little nervous, but I want him to know his feelings are not one-sided.

"Tomorrow," I say, and my voice takes on a velvety smoothness, "you and I are going to this little tattoo shop here we passed a few times when we were strolling. I'm going to get my first moment. I've been waiting for the right time, and it's now." I swallow and lick my lips. "When I say I love you more, it's because I can't imagine you can feel more than what I already do." Sudden shyness attempts to pull at my lips. My cheeks are a little flushed.

His hands roam my loose and flowy dress, inching it up with the tips of his fingers. The need in his touch and the way his fingers leave a trail of heat in their path rocks me down to my core. It makes me fall harder for him more, if that's even possible. To be loved so profoundly and manage to still give it in return is a feeling one would never understand unless they lived it fully. This is what life is all about and the meaning behind why we're here.

I can tell James all night long that I love him, but I'd rather show him how I feel.

Six

My hands move to his shoulders to slide his shirt off.

It falls to the floor in a heap. I lean forward and press my lips to his chest and inhale the cognac and crushed cigar scent clinging to him with my eyes closed. He smells like money and masculinity. His hand cups the back of my head as my fingers reach for his belt buckle to loosen it. James pulls down the straps of my dress and I slip out of my high heels as my dress joins his shirt on the floor. I'm above average height for a woman, but I feel small in comparison to James.

"Never doubt what I feel for you." My voice drops to a throaty whisper as I look at him. "Never doubt it's any less than what you feel for me. You're it for me, baby."

Rising up on my tiptoes, I palm his cheeks and bring his kiss to me. One hand finds my lower back, the other is threading through my hair, holding me to him. The way James kisses me this time, while it's the same, it's completely different. It's deeper, harder, more intense. Like he's not holding back anymore and showing me how he truly feels.