Page 86 of The Spare
“I love you,” I told her. Her eyes went wide. Before she could say anything, I pressed my lips to hers. The scent of sandalwood and jasmine filled the air. “Sloan,”—kiss—“Saanvi,”—kiss—“whoever you are.”
She giggled, and I kissed her again.
I pulled back, cupped her face in my hands, and swept the tears that welled in the corners of her eyes away with my thumbs. “I love you. Drunk on Christmas, patching me up on Thanksgiving, nearly set alight by a sparkler on Diwali, covered in colors on Holi, or eating paella on a random Wednesday. In whichever of the five languages you speak. In whatever outfit you make me want to rip off. I love you, Saanvi Sloan Amari.”
Before being with Sloan, I was trying to forget.
Now all I wanted to do was remember. Every laugh, every smile, every single second. She lit up my world and made each moment better than the last.
Her chin wobbled. She took my hands in hers. A few stray tears streaked down her cheek. “I love you too.”
Relief washed over me, extinguishing the fear and igniting something entirely new.
CHAPTER43
Sloan
Marcus loved me. And I loved him.
There were so many times I wanted to say it, but something had held me back: the lingering feeling that I would always take a back seat to other things.
But he loved me, and for now, that was enough.
I dragged his head down to mine and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. My fingers laced into his hair. Not breaking the kiss, I stepped back until I was stopped by the entryway wall.
All I wanted at that moment was to feel his lips and his body against mine. To be surrounded completely by him.
His fingers found the zipper and drawstring that held my skirt in place and released both. It pooled around my feet and left me in the red lace he loved so much. He growled with anticipation as I slid the skirt aside with my foot. His statuesque body pressed mine hard against the wall. The feel of his thick arousal against my groin sent delicious chills up my spine.
“Let’s go to bed,” he groaned in my ear. The air was thick with love and lust swirled together. I knew what he wanted—to take me to his bed and show me just how much he loved me. Over and over again until I was nearly passing out with exhaustion.
But I couldn’t wait. I wanted him here. Now.
“No,” I rasped. My body trembled with emotion. “Here.”
My frantic hands found the bottom of the kurta and undid it. He took a tentative step back to remove the rest before his lips met mine again, pressing me back against the wall. The powdered colors on our bodies stained the white paint.
His touch scorched my skin as he slid his hand up my back to the tassels holding my top taut. He pulled it open.
“Is there red lace under here too?” His breath along my neck threw my senses into a frenzy. He pulled it down to find there was nothing underneath, leaving me standing in just my panties for his appraisal. He stopped for a moment to pull back and take me in. “Fuck. I love you.”
“I love you.” I traced my finger down his chiseled chest over his abs.
His mouth collided onto mine, quickly moving to my neck and then to my breasts. He took a hard peak into his mouth and teased me roughly with his teeth. The tightness in my body wound harder and harder. It begged for release. “Marcus. Please.”
His hands reached my hips and slipped off the lacy barrier between us. He hooked my legs around his waist and pressed my back hard against the wall once more. “Anything you want, Sloan.” He pushed his length into me slowly with uneven breaths. The pleasure seeped into his words as he read my body like he’d already memorized it. “I’ll give it to you.”
His arm reached out and braced against the wall while the other remained on my hip. He thrust deeper and harder. His tempo picked up. “You.” That was all I had to gasp before he was fully unbridled. The familiar sound of his hips crashing against mine filled the entryway.
My fingers clutched his already well-marred back and sank into it as I tried to hold on. The pleasure building inside me became overwhelming. Finally, the feeling of densely packed heat exploded from my core through my entire body, leaving me trembling against him at his unrelenting pace. He followed moments later. “I love you, Sloan,” he whispered softly in my ear.
“I love you.” I wanted to say it over and over.
We remained that way, entwined against the wall, for a bit longer. He finally lifted his forehead to lean it against mine, our breathing slowed. He wiped a few tears I didn’t realize I shed. My hands moved to the back of his neck and tugged gently.
“Mine,” I commanded.
He smirked. “I’ve been yours for years.”
