38

Cathy

The video footage of Chris’s dramatic airport arrest plays out on the laptop screen before us. His face is contorted into a mask of panic and indignant outrage as the burly security officers swarm him in a flurry of movement.

“I did nothing wrong!” he shrieks, his words dripping with desperation as they wrestle his arms behind his back. “This is a setup! You can’t do this to me!”

So hypocritical.

A dark, vindicated thrill lances through me at the sight of the arrogant bastard being so utterly humbled and brought low. To see that supreme arrogance shatter completely is nothing short of cathartic.

Next to me on the bed, Jonathan lets out a low, rumbling chuckle thick with disdain. “Look at the prick,” he muses, his arm tightening around my waist in a possessive embrace. “So good seeing him get exactly what he deserves.”

I tear my gaze from the screen to offer Jonathan a grin, warmth blooming in my chest. “He’s going to hate prison.” I stamp down the flicker of contemptuous pity I feel watching him hauled away. I have no empathy to spare for a man like Chris.

Jonathan nods in agreement. “Your dad’s lawyers aren’t pulling any punches by the looks of it. Extortion, possession of exploitation materials, larceny, on top of all the counts from the university... That manipulative freak is going away for a long, long time.”

“Good,” I growl, imagining the pathetic existence that surely awaits Chris behind bars. “Dad made sure to hire the absolute best and most ruthless legal team his fortune could buy. Chris will be lucky if he doesn’t end up sharing a cramped cell with that worm Marty Sotheby for a long time coming.”

My stomach flutters at Jonathan’s smile. “And even if they do eventually get out, you can bet your ass your father has spent all his influence blacklisting the both of them from every half-decent university or corporation in the country. Their professional reputations are torched for good, just like they deserve.”

I nod in grim satisfaction, tension I didn’t even realize I was carrying sloughing off my shoulders in palpable waves of relief. It’s over. Really over. After endless years of living under that thick cloud of fear and dread, never knowing when Chris’s next demands would make my life implode...the constant anxiety and spiraling doubts about my self-worth and safety are gone.

My roving eyes settle on Jonathan. My anchor, my shelter from the unrelenting storm no matter how dark and ugly Chris’s manipulation turned. Jonathan is there, resolute and steadfast in his support.

And now...now he’s so much more than that.

“Thank you,” I murmur, cupping the rough stubble of his cheek in my palm. His piercing eyes ignite embers low in my belly. “For everything, Jonathan. I couldn’t have done this—I couldn’t have survived this—without you right here by my side. You’re my whole world.”

The weight and truth of my words hangs between us in the charged air. Jonathan holds my gaze with an intensity that makes my breath hitch in my throat and my pulse thunder in my ears.

“Then be my world forever, Cathy,” he replies in a low, gravelly murmur that sends a delicious shiver racing across my skin. “Marry me.”

I stare at him, stunned into speechlessness as his words reverberate through me like a physical force.

Marry him?

The idea is profound. So utterly right.

I don’t see myself anywhere else but by his side. In his arms.

Slowly, tremulously, a dazzling smile blooms across my face as the haze of shock melts into euphoric certainty.

“Yes...” I let out on a breathy laugh, flinging myself into his arms. “God, yes, Jonathan! There’s nothing I want more in this world!”

“We’ll need to set a pre-nup,” Jonathan says.

I pull back to look up at him. “Don’t be silly. For the first time in my life, I trust you.”

A wry smile curves his lips. “I know, but I insist. I want you to know one hundred percent I’m in this because I love you. Not because of anything to do with money. Or your dad. Or your name. You’re my forever, Cathy. Come what may, I want you at my side. I want you for being you.”

He’s so serious. So honest. And the truth is that I want him at my side too and my heart swells that little bit more that he’s willing do to this. “If this is important to you, then yes. We’ll have one drawn up.”

His lips turn up in a hundred watt smile. “Thank you.”

Then his lips claim mine in a searing kiss that sets my body on fire. I melt into his strong embrace, surrendering myself completely to the overwhelming tide of love and desire crashing over me. His tongue delves deep, tangling with mine in an erotic dance that leaves me breathless and aching for more.

When he finally breaks the kiss, we’re both panting, chests heaving. His eyes blaze with the intensity of his feelings. “I love you, Cathy. God, I love you so much. You’re everything to me. I’m so damn grateful to have you in my life.”


Tears of joy prick at my eyes. “I love you too, Jonathan. More than anything.”

He captures my mouth again, kissing me as he peels my clothes off my body. I match his desperation, needing his hot body on mine more than I need my next breath.

Jonathan’s lips blaze a trail of fire down the column of my throat, teeth grazing my hammering pulse point. I gasp and arch into him as he laves my breasts, drawing one aching nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth. Electric pleasure zings through my nerve endings, making me writhe beneath him.

“Were you serious that day at the lake, when you told me I should start the company from our dissertation?” I ask.

His blue eyes snag on mine. He licks my nipple with the tip of his tongue before answering. “I was totally serious. If your father could build an empire, you can, too. I have complete faith in you.”

He continues his sensual assault, licking and nipping at the sensitive peaks until I’m mindless with need. It takes me a moment to gather my scattered thoughts enough to respond.

“Mmmm, a business like that would need funding,” I manage between panting breaths.

Jonathan kisses his way down my stomach, swirling his tongue around my navel. I shiver and thread my fingers through his hair.

“Tophy’s bank would back you, no question,” he says confidently, nuzzling my hip bone. “You’ll have all the support you need.”

“I was thinking...” I break off on a gasp as he settles between my thighs, his heated breath teasing my aching flesh. “I’d like a partner I can trust. Someone to build this with me.”

His eyes gleam wickedly up at me as he parts my slick folds with his fingers, exposing my throbbing clit to his hungry gaze. I try to rock my hips up toward him, seeking more, but he holds me still.

“Anyone in particular in mind?” he asks, lips hovering maddeningly close to where I need him most.

“Well, I asked someone before but I didn’t like their answer,” I breathe out. “I’m hoping I can persuade them to reconsider.”

He chuckles, the vibrations against my sensitive flesh making me moan. “Is that so? Tell me more.”

He devours me in earnest before I can get another word out. I cry out sharply, back bowing off the bed as he licks and sucks at my clit, fingers delving deep into my channel. The pleasure is intense, overwhelming, cresting higher and higher until it finally shatters me apart. I fall back to the bed, catching my breath.

Jonathan works me through the aftershocks and then kisses his way back up my trembling body. “I have to say, that’s a very compelling argument.”

I’m boneless and languid, drifting in a sensual haze. He settles over me, the thick length of his erection gliding through my slick heat. It takes a moment to catch up with the conversation we were having before my mind exploded.

“I was an idiot to say no before,” he says solemnly, bracketing my face with his hands. “I should have said yes without hesitation. I knew then how brilliant you are, and I was already head over heels in love with you. I was just being a coward, letting my own fears hold me back.”

I reach up to cup his face, my thumb brushing tenderly over his cheekbone. “You were trying to protect me,” I remind him softly. “It was misguided, yes, but I understand why you did it. I forgive you, on one condition...”

He raises an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “And what might that be?”

“Tell me yes now,” I breathe, my heart racing in anticipation.

Jonathan’s eyes darken as he positions himself at my entrance. With a slow, deliberate thrust, he sheathes himself inside me, filling me so completely that I feel like I might burst from the sheer perfection of our connection.

“Yes,” he says, his voice low and fervent. “I’ll be your business partner, your husband, your lover... your everything. I’m yours, Cathy, now and forever.”

Tears slip free, trailing into my hair. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby. Forever.”

Then he starts to move and talking becomes impossible. He takes me with long, powerful strokes, hitting that perfect spot inside me every time. I match his rhythm, our bodies moving as one, pleasure building and building until it consumes us both. Each thrust sends waves of pleasure coursing through me until I’m teetering on the brink once more. Jonathan’s movements become more urgent, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he chases his own release.

With a final, powerful thrust, I shatter with his name on my lips, my inner muscles clamping down hard. He follows me over the edge with a hoarse shout, spilling deep inside me as we cling to each other, shaking and spent.

I nestle into his embrace, my head resting on his chest as his fingers trail lazily up and down my spine. The future stretches out before us, bright and full of promise. And for the first time in my life, I’m not afraid to reach out and grab it with both hands.

“I love you, Jonathan,” I murmur, tilting my head to press a soft kiss to his jaw.

He smiles down at me, his eyes shining with adoration. “I love you too, Cathy. More than words could ever express.”

As we drift off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms, I know that I’ve finally found my home, my haven, my happily ever after. The world outside might be chaotic and unpredictable, but here, in the safety of Jonathan’s embrace, everything is perfect.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.