I should turn around and head back there but I can’t seem to move my feet. He should turn and walk out of the door but he doesn’t make a move either. Instead, we continue standing here, next to each other, and staring into each other’s eyes.

When I move my head, a strand of hair falls into my face. I tuck it behind my ear but it frees itself once again.

This time, Nicholas reaches over.

He carefully brushes his hand across my cheek and sweeps the hair back in place. When I look up at him, his hand remains there, cradling my face.

Shivers run down my back and my nipples get hard pressing against my shirt. I resist the urge to shift my weight from one foot to another out of fear or pulling my face away from his palm.

When I look up into his eyes, the man I used to know disappears.

When we first met, he was standoffish and cold, confident yet unreachable.

And now, standing here in this room in the middle of nowhere, I suddenly see the man that he really is. Without the suits, the money, or the lies, this is the man that I am in love with.

Nicholas’ lips open slightly as he moves his head closer. He blinks and unlocks our eyes from each other’s before tilting my head up and pushing his lips onto mine.

My mouth opens and our tongues touch. Our kiss is soft at first as we feel each other out but then we remember that old familiar dance and suddenly we are waltzing as one.

“I love you,” I whisper through the kiss.

He pulls away only slightly to look at me again.

“I love you,” I repeat myself again and again. “I’ve loved you for a long time but I could never say it out loud either. That’s the main reason I came here. I couldn’t live not telling you something so important face-to-face.”

In my mind, my words flow smoothly and eloquently as if they are spoken by Meryl Streep, but in reality, they come out jumbled and out of control.

“I love you, too,” he whispers and grabs my arm.

His fingers braid with mine and we kiss again.

He pushes me against the counter, his strong body pressing hard against my soft one.

When I let go of his hand, I run my fingers up to his neck and then into his hair. His hands make their way into my hair, pulling my chin upward with each tug.

His breaths fill my mouth until he turns my head and starts to nibble on my earlobe. With each little bite, the outline of his dick pushes harder against my pelvic bone.