When we arrive at the townhouse and get upstairs, he pours me a glass of wine, leaving it on the kitchen counter before disappearing in the bedroom. Just as I’m hooking Maxim’s leash to his collar, Cobi comes out of the bedroom. I watch him go to the kitchen and grab my glass of wine then come toward me holding it. He takes Maxim’s leash from me and hands me the glass.

“Bath’s running. Go on and get in. I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait… What?” I blink at the glass now in my hand then him.

“Bath, baby.” He gently shoves me toward the bedroom. I walk toward the bedroom, but pause to watch him. “Go, baby,” he orders, looking at me before closing the door. After a deep breath, I go through the bedroom and into the bathroom, and stop at the door.

The lights are dim and the large freestanding bathtub is filling with steaming water and fluffy bubbles. I set my glass of wine on the edge of the tub then take off my coat. I hang it in the closet then strip out of my heels and the simple black dress I wore today. I tie my hair up on top of my head and get into the tub, sighing when the hot water touches my skin.

Once I’m sitting in the water, I look around the bathroom. Like the rest of the house, it’s beautiful. There’s a glass-enclosed shower with cream, jade, and white glass tiles in the corner of the room. The walls are painted cream, and the floor matches the rest of the house, which is rustic wood. There’s a long vanity and double sinks, each with a mirror above, and fluffy rugs and towels.

I pick up my glass of wine, trying to remember if I have ever taken a bath before. I probably did when I was little, but I don’t remember. The trailer I grew up in had a bathtub, but it was small, and I wouldn’t take a bath there unless I had a tetanus shot beforehand. There was more rust than paint on the inner surface, and some sharp spots that would cut you if you weren’t careful. I set my glass down and lean back, closing my eyes and allowing the sound of the running water and heat to relax me.

A finger gently slides between my eyes and down to the tip of my nose, and I open my eyes. “Hey, baby,” Cobi says, resting his elbows on the edge, his shirtsleeves now rolled up his forearms.

“I fell asleep,” I tell him, something he obviously knows, and he smiles, touching his finger to my cheek.

His eyes move over the parts of me not covered with bubbles before coming back to mine. “How’s the water?”

“Nice, warm.” I take his hand and study his tattooed skin against mine. “I can’t remember ever taking a bath.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes…” I look into his beautiful eyes. “But I’d like it more if you were in here with me.”

“I can do that,” he replies, standing. I watch him pull his shirt from his slacks then unbutton it, exposing his wide chest and abs. He slips it off his shoulders, tossing it toward the closet, and then he unhooks his belt before it flies to the closet too. When he removes his pants and boxers and I see he’s hard, my nipples pebble and my core tightens. He shuts off the water and gets in opposite me, his knees bent with his legs on the outside of mine. “Better?” he asks, and I shake my head. “What do you need, baby?”

“You, always you,” I whisper, and he takes my hand and pulls me across the water to him until his slick body is under mine and his erection is resting against my lower belly. His hands wrap around my hips, and I slide my hips up. I feel him nudge my entrance with the tip of his cock, and I take his face in my hands. I touch my mouth to his before leaning back to look into his eyes. “I love you.” At my admission, his body tightens and his hold, already firm, grows possessive. “I know it’s probably too soon, but I want you to know.”

“Hadley—”

“I….” I cut him off then shake my head. “You’re the best man I have ever met in my life, the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“I love you too,” he growls, thrusting up into me but locking me there with his hands, his eyes still on mine. “You belong to me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I breathe, dropping my forehead to his. “Always.”

“Until the end, until one of us ceases to exist, we belong to each other.”

Tears fill my eyes and I rest my mouth on his. “Until the end.” It’s a vow, a promise to him and to myself.

“I want you to move in with me,” he says as he starts to rock me on his length.

I start to open my mouth to tell him it’s too soon for that, but gasp when he drags his hips back then thrusts up into me hard, causing water to splash out of the tub onto the floor.

“You just told me you belong to me. I’m not putting it off. I want you here with me. Want to take care of you.”

His words hit me directly in the heart and I agree with a whimpered, “Okay,” as he thrusts into me again.

“Tomorrow,” he growls, and I start to laugh. “What’s funny?” He stops moving.

I slide my fingers into his hair and lean over him. “I…” I roll my hips into his and he grunts. “I’m screwed. I can’t seem to ever say no to you.”

“You’re definitely screwed.” He tips his head down and captures my breast, pulling my nipple into his mouth. Sucking hard, he lifts his hips on each of my downward strokes. Water sloshes over the side of the tub as we move together in sync. He takes hold of my neglected breast and squeezes, then slides his hand to between my legs, rolling my clit, as my head falls back to my shoulders.

“Cobi,” I breathe as my eyes slide closed.

“Look at me, baby.” My head tilts forward and my eyes lock with his. “I love you.”

“I know,” I whimper, holding his gaze.

His finger circles harder and my hands move to his shoulders to hold on. As my nails dig into his flesh, he leans up and captures my mouth. I open for him, hoping to pour into that kiss everything I feel for him, hoping that he fully understands what he means to me. As I start to clamp down and spasm around him, he groans into my mouth while his hips jerk. I come, feeling him become impossibly bigger as he releases deep inside me. Panting for breath and seeing stars, my body falls limply against his. His arms slide around my back and he tucks his face into my neck, breathing heavy, his heart pounding between us, my heart beating just as hard. We both cling to each other until the water starts to get cool.

“Gotta get up, baby,” he tells me, and I lean back slightly to look at him, every one of my muscles protesting against me. When he pulls his hips from mine, a soft mewl escapes and my eyes close. “I got you.” He somehow has the strength I don’t to lift me into his arms and step out of the tub.

When he sets me down and water sloshes under my feet, I look down then up at him. “Oops.”

“Don’t worry about that right now.” He lets me go with a smile then wraps me in a towel and picks me back up. He carries me to the bed, where he deposits me before tossing the covers over me. I roll to my side, and he leans down, searching my eyes before gently placing a soft kiss to my lips. “Be back.”

He stands, and I watch him go to the bathroom. When he comes back out a few minutes later, he’s still naked, and his cock is still somewhat hard. I take him in, wondering what I did to deserve him. It’s not his looks—those are just a bonus. Even if he were a hundred pounds overweight and balding, I would still feel thankful that I could call him mine.

He pulls back the blanket, and I cry out as he rips the towel from my body and tosses it behind him to the floor. He turns on the lamp then goes back to shut off the light before he gets into bed with me, dragging me against his side. I curl up against him with my ear over his heart, thinking about everything that has happened in such a short time.

“You’re quiet,” he states, running his fingers down my arm lying over his stomach.

“I’m trying to come to terms with things,” I say, lifting my head and resting my chin on his pec.

“What?”

“Well…” I feel my lips twitch. “Apparently, you’re in love with me, and I’m moving in with you. It’s a lot to accept and I’m working through it silently.”