Chapter 10 - The Last Text
At two in the morning, the Maybach dropped us off at the penthouse.
The city outside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls was quiet, covered in a light late-autumn mist.
I stood near the edge of the living room, unbuckling the straps of my high heels and tossing them onto the carpet with a sigh of absolute relief.
Julian came up behind me, wrapping his heavy arms around my waist, burying his face in the crook of my neck. He kissed the skin there, sending warm shivers cascading down my spine.
“Did I embarrass you tonight?” he asked murmured against my neck.
“Completely,” I said, turning around in his arms to look up at him. “You declared your feelings to the entire financial district.”
“They needed to know,” Julian replied, his hands settling on my hips, pulling me closer. “I don't like sharing, Nora. And I certainly don't want anyone thinking you’re available.”
I smiled, reaching up to adjust his silk tie, unknotting it slowly and letting it fall to the floor.
“I was never available,” I confessed softly. “I’ve been hopelessly in love with you since my third day at the company.”
Julian froze, his gray eyes darkening with an intense, profound emotion. “Say that again.”
“I love you, Julian,” I whispered, looking straight into his eyes. “I loved you when you were cold, I loved you when you were terrifying, and I love you now.”
Julian let out a low, shaky breath, gathering me into his arms and kissing me with a fierce, tender devotion that made the world disappear entirely. He lifted me into his arms, carrying me down the dark hallway toward his master bedroom.
Hours later, as the first grey light of dawn began to creep over Central Park, I lay resting against Julian’s bare chest, listening to the slow, steady beat of his heart.
His arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me against his warm body.
My phone, resting on the bedside table, chimed softly.
I reached out quietly, not wanting to wake him, and pulled the device toward me.
It was a text message from Mara.
Mara: So... do you still want to buy those goats in Vermont?
I smiled, my heart overflowing with peace.
I looked at Julian’s sleeping face—his dark hair messy, his sharp features softened in sleep, looking relaxed and completely content beside me.
I tapped the screen with one hand, typing my reply.
May you like
Nora: Cancel the goats. I’m staying in New York.
I set the phone back on the table, curled closer into Julian’s warm embrace, and closed my eyes, falling asleep in the arms of the man who had come to pick me up and stayed forever.
