He was so perfect.
“I bought this place a couple of years ago, and this is the first chance I’ve gotten to visit it since the renovations were complete.”
“This is your first time staying here?”
He nodded his head, chuckling softly. “Sofia has school, and I’ve been working everyday of the week for the past few months. Between work and fatherhood, I barely have enough time to sleep, much less take a trip.”
“I know what you mean,” Reanna sighed. “The work part at least.” Not so much on the fatherhood thing. “I can’t remember the last time I had a vacation …”
“Well, I’m happy to be the one you end that dry spell with.”
Her brows rose. Very interesting choice of words. She had ended more than one ‘dry spell’ with Kyle Valente over the past day and a half.
Chuckling softly to herself, Reanna looked behind her when she heard the loud banging of kitchen cabinets being shut.
“What are they doing in there?” she asked curiously.
She remembered that some of his men had entered the house with them when they arrived. They’d carried in their bags, then she heard them rustling around as if they were searching for something.
“Just standard security rounds, and putting away a few items we needed. I had a shopper grab us some food to fill the kitchen,” he answered, never ceasing their progress. “Since we’re staying for the next couple of days, I knew we’d need a few things.”
“There’s a grocery store out here?”
He nodded. “There’s a little town, not too far from here. Near the ski lodge.”
Umm, awesome. Reanna hadn’t known they were close to a freaking ski lodge. Learning to ski was at the top of her bucket list.
“Come on, baby,” he pulled her along, “there’s one last room I need to show you.”
Reanna stumbled along, pretty positive that he just sped up their pace. Sheesh! He seemed so eager to get to wherever they were going, Reanna could barely keep up with him. She held tightly to his hand as she took quicker steps in an effort to keep up with his long strides.
“Kyle,” she laughed, finding his sudden eagerness amusing, “where are you taking—” Her words cut off with a gasp as a possibility popped into her head. “Is it a room full of chocolate?” It was honestly the only reason she could think of that would possibly explain his behavior. She moaned in delight at the thought of a room full of chocolate. “Oh, Kyle. You know how much I love chocolate …”
It would be the greatest surprise.
Chocolate was everything beautiful about this world in Reanna’s opinion. She ate it both not enough, and more than she should. But to balance things and keep her size fourteen figure right, she always made extra effort at the gym she visited a couple of times a week. You know, when she had time. Okay, she barely made it to the gym …
Shaking her head to clear the thoughts of her cardio failures, Reanna re-focused on the situation at hand—keeping up with Kyle.
“Kyle,” she whined, her voice bouncing as she jogged along. “Where are we going, honey? This is too much running. I’m not in shape enough for this.”
Her body didn’t even know what running was. She hadn’t done it since high school, and she hadn’t even been in high school since she was fifteen years old! She was a walker. Even on those days when she made it to the gym, she still refused to run. Only walking.
“Valente, slow down …” But the remaining words of her sentence trailed off just as they made it too their destination.
Kyle led her in first, then he followed after her, closing the door behind them.
A bedroom.
Not just any bedroom, either; Reanna’s freaking dream bedroom.
It was huge! The beautiful red wood, the huge windows lining the far walls, the view! Oh God, the view outside of those windows. Reanna would have been afraid that someone could see in, but it was pretty much impossible. The window was too high up, and everything behind the cabin was downhill. The scene was gorgeous; Reanna couldn’t wait to spend some time at the window with her camera. Pulling her gaze from the window, she admired the art covering the walls, the furnishings—couches and chairs placed beautifully throughout the room—and the bed … The freaking bed was stunning. A king-sized monster of a bed was covered in a black, insanely expensive looking comforter set.
Okay, Reanna was beginning to wonder just how rich Kyle was.
Above the bed there was a mirror. Yes, a mirror. Positioned on the lower ceiling right over the bed. Reanna stared up at it in awe. Who the hell put a mirror over their bed? She’d never seen anything like it before.
She saved the best room for last because, come on, it was definitely the one she wanted to see the most. The bathroom. And it was everything she’d dreamed it’d be. It was nearly as big as her bedroom back home, and Reanna had a very nice sized bedroom. Black marble everywhere, and the tub made hers at home look like a bitch.
Yep, Reanna was officially jealous.
This place was amazing. This bedroom. Amazing. Everything was just …
“Amazing,” she sighed walking out of the bathroom, turning off the lights behind her. She smiled, seeing that Kyle had made his way to the bed while she’d done her exploring. “Don’t you want to see? This is your first time here, too.” She walked over to him, taking his hand when he reached out for her.
He pulled her forward to stand between his long legs, lacing his fingers between hers. “Just seeing that you like it is enough for me, baby.”
Bringing her hand to his lips, he looked up into her eyes as he gave her a soft kiss.
Reanna bit down on her bottom lip, her cheeks—as well as a few other places on her body—warming in response to the feel of his lips on her skin. “Like is an understatement, Kyle,” she said softly. “This home is a dream. Sofia would love it here.”
“I agree.” He smiled. “We should bring her.”
Reanna’s brows lifted slightly in surprise. We?
Releasing her hands, he rested his hands at her hips, giving them a gentle squeeze. “How about Christmas?” he asked, his eyes genuine. “We go see our families beforehand, my parents, your sister and the male—”
“Ronaldo.”
“And my brothers,” he continued. “Then make our way up here for the rest of the holiday, just the three of us?” His eyes fell for a moment as he looked forward at her shirt, an unreadable expression flashing across his face before he lifted his eyes back to hers. “Assuming you’d be interested in spending the holidays with us.”
Was he seriously asking? Of course she would!
“I’d love to.” She couldn’t believe he asked. Christmas was forever from now, which meant … “So this,” she said softly, staring in to his eyes, “this is really happening, isn’t it? Us …” She had to be honest, she’d been a bit doubtful in the car, but only because she still was unsure of Kyle’s feelings for her in comparison to the feelings he had for Aniyah.
“Is that what you want?” he asked, his hand moving up her hips, slipping beneath her long sweater to rest at her waist. “Us.”
She took in a slow, deep breath when his cool hands touched her warm skin. Nodding her head, she raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “Yes,” she whispered, deciding it was best to tell the truth.
She’d already let him make love to her, kiss her multiple times, and whisk her away for the weekend. Was there really any reason to lie to him now? After all of that? No.
“What do you want?” she asked timidly, her voice barely audible.
“The same,” he answered confidently, and without hesitation. “I want you, us … this.” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her belly, then he looked up at her. “If I’m being completely honest with you, with myself, I want you to be mine, forever.”
Forever? Like … forever ever?
Yes … The word was a sigh in her head as she brought her hand up to gently caress his face. “I want that, too,” she confessed, slipping her fingers into his h
air. “But what about …” Her words trailed off as her eyes lowered. She hated bringing this up because she’d rather not think about it, but she had to. “Aniyah,” she whispered. “Technically, we’re sort of having an affair, Kyle.”
“We’re not,” he replied softly, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently. “The phone call. I was arranging a few things with my assistant.”
Reanna’s eyes widened slightly. “And …”
“And, one of the tasks I bestowed upon her was delivering a message to Ms. Clark.” He kissed her hand once more, then looked up into her eyes. “I apologized to her for my lack of communication for the past couple of weeks, for my lack of presence in our relationship period, and that sadly, I must end things between us. I sent flowers, and informed her that after today, I would no longer be contacting her … because my heart belongs to another.”
“Another,” she repeated, even as her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest. “You broke up with her.”
“Because I had to, colomba. This,” he hooked his arm around her, bringing her against him, “is not an affair. It’s not a fling, or something that we must keep secret, because we are not doing anything wrong. I’ve wanted you for so long, baby.”
You have?
“And I don’t want my fear of my feelings for you holding us back anymore.”
“You were afraid,” she whispered, feeling her eyes fill with tears. “Why?”
“Because I love you. And I’m …” He sighed. “I’ve never been good at loving, without hurting. And I can’t stand the thought of hurting you, baby.”
So many words. So many words were said, but Reanna could only hear the first four playing on repeat in her head. ‘Because I love you.’ He’d said he loved her.
“You love me,” she cried softly, tears spilling from her eyes. “Did you say …”
“Yes, baby.” Reaching up, he wiped her tear-stained cheeks.
Reanna shook her head, still feeling disbelief. She couldn’t process this. Everything was happening so fast, and he loved her. She just … Oh my God.
“Kyle,” she cried, unable to contain her happiness, “you love me.”
Kyle chuckled. “Aww, baby. Why are you crying?” He wiped her eyes again. “Here, sit down with me.”
Reanna moved forward to straddle his lap just as he lifted her and scooted them back on to the bed. She tried to wipe her falling tears, but nothing was working. She was too overcome with emotion to stop. It was all just too unbelievable. He’d been scared … of his feelings for her.
“Reanna, baby.” He kissed her tears in effort to calm her, just as she remembered him doing the night before after his dreaming had frightened her. It was so sweet, it only made her cry more. “Reanna … please, honey. This isn’t the reaction I thought I’d get after telling you how I felt. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Aww.” Shaking her head, Reanna sniffled as she took his face in her palms. Silly man. “You didn’t upset me, Kyle. These are happy tears.”
He frowned in confusion. “Happy tears?”
Reanna nodded. “Yes,” she murmured, leaning forward to gently kiss his lips. Closing her eyes, Reanna reveled in the feeling of being close to him, connected to him, and finally, after so long, on the same page with him.
He’d only said a few words about how he’d felt, but with them, he’d given her all of the answers she’d been searching for since their friendship began. She felt free from the confusion that once frustrated the hell out of her, and now everything made so much sense. He made so much sense.
Pulling back from his mouth with a smile dancing on her lips, Reanna stared into Kyle Valente’s eyes and finally said the words she’d been longing to say since she first became aware of her feelings for him.
“I love you.”
And Lord in heaven did it feel so freaking good.
“I love you, Kyle,” she cried. “I love you so much.”
Kyle actually looked stunned, like he hadn’t expected her to say it. Or maybe he hadn’t expected her to feel the same way at all …
“You love me,” he repeated, shaking his head. “I thought you’d be upset with me. For loving you this long … and for being stupid.”
“No, never,” she promised, kissing his face once more. “I was stupid, too, Kyle.”
He shook his head.
But she nodded, cutting him off so she could speak. “No, I was. We were both running, honey. You admittedly a little harder than I was, and yes … I was angry with you a lot. I even blamed you for my pain. But, I was wrong. And I never understood that until now, until you just told me that you were afraid.” She smiled, even as a soft sob shook her chest. “You and I are the same.”
All this time, all she had to do was look into herself to find the answers she wanted. Why was Kyle so hesitant with her, why did he reject her? Why was he so flirtatious, so seemingly interested, but he never made a move? Never ended things with Aniyah … The answers were so clear now, and she was so angry with herself for not seeing it before.
He’d been running … just as she’d been.
“I was afraid, too, Kyle,” she confessed, feeling so much lighter when she did. “Afraid of how much I love you that I never … said anything.” She’d held back just as much as he had, maybe even more so. That was the reason why she couldn’t be angry with him. She’d been fighting against her feelings for him, too. “I pursued a friendship with you so that we could be close, because I couldn’t let you go, and all the while I blamed us not being together on you, but it was me, too. Both of us, running away because we loved the other too much to just be comfortable with it. I’ve loved you for so long, and that whole time, deep down, I knew you loved me, too. All it would have taken is for one of us to just be bold enough, courageous enough to say something, but we weren’t ready, Kyle. I-I wasn’t ready.” And she could finally admit that to herself now. “I have never loved anyone the way I love you, as much as I love you. I have never met somebody as completely fucked up as I am …”
Kyle laughed softly.
“… and I didn’t trust it.” Reanna shook her head. “I was terrified of feeling so connected to someone, so out of control. I couldn’t function even at the thought of losing you, and I was petrified that if I let you in completely, you would hurt me.”
“Because of my past,” he sighed softly, a look of shame evident in his eyes. “Because of the horrible things that I’ve done.”
“No,” she whispered, gently caressing his face. “No, baby.” She placed his hand to her heart. “Because of my past.”
A past so dark, so damaging, that Reanna had been sure she’d never have a chance to feel for anyone the way she felt for Kyle. She didn’t think herself capable of love like this.
“I’m damaged, Kyle,” she wept. “Broken, and I have been for a very long time. And I had never been faced with pain rooted as deeply as my own. I had never looked into anyone’s eyes before, and seen myself … until I met you.”
“You think I’m broken.” He placed her hand to his heart, smiling warmly.
Reanna nodded. “So beautifully broken, Kyle Valente,” she whispered, bringing her hands back up to his gorgeous face. “The most beautiful broken I’ve ever seen.”
He swallowed, chuckling softly as he lowered his eyes from hers, seemingly overcome with emotion, but not shedding a tear. “Wow.” He breathed in a quick intake of breath. “If I weren’t touching you right now, I’d swear you weren’t real.”
Reanna laughed softly through her tears. “I’m nothing special, Kyle.” Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. “I’m a mess.”
And it was the truth.
“If you are a mess, Reanna Pierce, you are by far the most beautiful mess I’ve ever seen.”
Smiling wide at his words, Reanna gave him a gentle push, making him fall back on the bed. “You thief,” she laughed, “you’re always stealing the words right out of my mouth.”
Kyle chuckled, giving a shrug of his shoulder as his hand rested
at her hips. “Well, you have to admit, baby, they were some good words. I mean, no one has ever called my broken beautiful before.”
Leaning forward she captured his lips in a kiss. “Mmmhmm …” she sighed, pulling back a bit. “Your broken is beautiful, Kyle Valente.”
“As is yours, Ms. Pierce.”
She felt his smile against her lips as his hands began to slowly move up her back.
“So what now?” he murmured, his warm breath brushing against her lips. “Is all the excitement gone now that you know my secret? That I love you, that this is not an affair, and that I want a boring, long life with you.”
Reanna giggled. “Well …” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “I had been sort of hoping for a steamy love affair with a sexy billionaire, but I suppose I’ll settle for one day becoming your trophy wife.”
“You sure?” he asked, quirking a brow. “I can always send another message to Ms. Clark. Just for this weekend, this can be your affair with a dangerously sexy billionaire.”
Reanna pursed her lips. “First of all, I said nothing about you being ‘dangerously’ sexy. Arrogant much?” She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “We both know you’re a cuddle bunny, Kyle, not dangerous … so let’s stop trying to be someone you’re not.” She laughed when he pinched her side in warning, then shot up to a sitting position on top of him, moving his big hands to her behind as she did. “And second,” she said in mock seriousness, “I’d rather you not say your ex-girlfriend’s name in our bedroom, on the bed in which we are about to consummate our relationship.”
His brow rose with interest just as she knew it would. “Consummate, huh?”
She nodded. “Oh yes.”
Gripping the hem of her shirt, Reanna lifted it over her head, making a big show of throwing it behind her to the floor. Once her shirt was off, she leaned forward, resting her hand at Kyle’s abdomen right as she began pushing his shirt up his body.
“I think hot consummation sex may be a lot more satisfying than boring ‘affair with a sexy billionaire’ sex.”
Kyle nodded. “I’m agreeing with you right now.”
Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken Page 23
