Didn’t he know? “All I want is you.”
“I’m yours.”
She wanted to revel in this moment forever. Wanted to block out the rest of the world, if only for a short precious time, and focus everything on love.
When she smiled, it was full of emotion. And a touch of naughtiness too. “I’ve never made love in my office before.”
He kissed her hard. “I want to be your first. Your only.”
“You are. You always have been.” This moment between them was potent with meaning—and with joy. So much joy that it was perfectly natural, instinctive to tease. “I can’t stop fantasizing about having you ravish me with my clothes on. Like we’re doing something totally illicit.” And so beautiful her heart swelled with it.
“Paige.” He murmured her name into the vee of her neckline, licking her skin. “I love how you’re not afraid to make love fun. To play, even as you make me hotter than anything or anyone ever has.”
“Play with me,” she urged him.
On a lust-filled curse, he rolled her beneath him on the couch. She felt so soft, so sexy beneath his hard, heated muscles.
He bunched the material of her skirt in his hands and tugged it up slowly. “You made me crazy when I first walked in here. This pencil skirt and silk blouse you’re wearing. They’re sexy as hell. I could barely restrain myself from ripping them off you.”
“I wanted to rip your suit off too.”
He stopped a moment, his features serious again as he braced himself above her. “Don’t ever stop being exactly the way you are. Don’t ever stop making me laugh, making me crazy. My sweet, sexy, wild, perfect Paige.”
Her heart contracted, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. No one had ever wanted her just the way she was. She’d lived her whole life in her sister’s shadow.
But Evan loved her just as she was.
“I am sweet,” she said softly. “And sexy.” That came out louder, firmer. She was already rolling them over so she could straddle his hips as she said, “And wild for you.”
He pulled her down and gave her a sizzling, openmouthed kiss, tasting her with his tongue, filling her. “You forgot one,” he said when he finally let her come up for air. “Perfect.” He threaded his hands into her hair. “My every dream, every hope, every prayer, come true.”
“Then love me now,” she whispered, looking down into his beautiful face, her gaze caressing his lips.
The next thing she knew, zippers were unzipped, buttons were unbuttoned, and fabric was pulled out of the way so that they could come together.
They made love to each other with lips, hands, hearts. Joy, pleasure, love—there were no boundaries anymore. No more shadows. Only the wild, perfect rhythm of their lovemaking, their sounds of pleasure, their whispered words of love.
And when they fell, they fell as one.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Paige sat in the passenger seat of Evan’s Tesla the following night as they zipped along to Modesto. He’d asked her to come with him to see his family. He’d said they were as much hers as they were his, that they would love her as much as he did. Even now, it made her tear up.
“I’m so proud of you for taking this step. I know how hard it is.”
Evan picked up her hand to kiss her knuckles. It was such a beautiful gesture, one she could never have imagined a month ago. But she’d dreamed of it a million times.
“With you by my side, it’s not hard.” He twined his fingers with hers on the console. “I want to know my brother and sister better. And it’s time to reconnect with my mother. I’m ready to start a new life with a new family.” He gave her the look that melted her heart every single time…and heated her straight through. “And with you. Especially with you.”
She knew her heart was shining in her eyes. “I wonder what everyone will say about us being together.”
“They’ll ask why it took so long. Especially Susan. I’m pretty sure if we didn’t get our act together soon, she was going to lock us in a bedroom and not let us out until we found our happily ever after.”
“She didn’t just adopt you and the other Mavericks,” Paige said in a soft voice. “She adopted me too, a fully grown woman who was desperate for a family. For a home.” Paige lifted her eyes back to Evan’s. “Our family is going to be as happy as theirs.”
“It is. Because we’ve learned from the best.”
He pulled over to the curb a few moments later where all three members of the Collins family were outside waiting by the short hedge around the small lawn in front of Theresa’s house. A flower box edged the porch, ready for spring flowers in a few months.
Paige and Evan were received with smiles all around and hugs from Tony and Kelsey, then they all trooped inside.
“Have you eaten dinner?” Theresa had obviously wanted to hug Evan too, but she’d held herself back.
“We have,” Evan said. “But I brought dessert.” He set a pink bakery box on the kitchen table. “Mrs. M’s trifle is legendary.”
“How lovely. I’ve put coffee on.”
Kelsey flipped open the bakery box. “Oh my God. It looks like a billion calories.” She laughed. “I’ll just have to run an extra five miles tomorrow, because I’m not missing this.”
“Need some help, Mom?” Tony asked, then automatically helped her get down the mugs, setting them on a plastic tray.