Part 23 (1/2)

Of course, that was right when both her phone and her computer buzzed with incoming calls.

Lifting her into his arms, he headed for the stairs. She'd already fielded enough calls and meetings for one day. Soon enough there would be more, and she would continue to thrive working with technology. But for the rest of the day-and the night-Roman was determined to give Suzanne the break she so desperately needed.

Fortunately, his bed wasn't far away...and he was more than happy to keep her from work by any means necessary.

Only pausing long enough to strip away their clothes, Roman soon had Suzanne lying naked and warm and breathtakingly beautiful beneath him. ”You went too easy on that sc.u.mbag today.” He ran his hands from her hips, up over her waist and b.r.e.a.s.t.s, until he was cupping her face. ”It's one of the millions of reasons I love you.”

”Millions?” She turned to press a kiss to his palm before teasing, ”And here I thought there couldn't be more than a dozen.”

”I already loved you a dozen different ways by the time we left the gallery that first night your brothers introduced us. By the time you kicked me out of your apartment that night, we were up into the hundreds.”

”Wow.” She bit her lip, and he had to bend down to lick the wet spot left behind when her teeth lifted away. ”That was the first thing I thought when I saw you for the first time. And then I wondered how my brothers could have hidden you from me for so long.”

”Alec would have hidden me forever if he hadn't been so worried about you.”

”I'll never admit it to my brother, but I'm so glad he went behind my back and hired you.” She laughed softly at herself. ”A part of me is even thankful that Patrick lost a screw. Because if he hadn't, I might never have found you.”

”Yes, you would. And I would have found you. Because I was meant to fall for you.” Roman let all his walls drop, removed every last barrier he used to have around his heart. ”I was meant to love you, Suzanne.”

”I was meant to love you too.” Her eyes were full of unconditional love as she whispered, ”Now and forever.”

Her lips were soft and warm as they met in the middle for a sweet kiss. One that quickly turned sinful as their tongues slipped together and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He loved hearing her whimper of pleasure as they sank deeper into the kiss and he ran his hands back down over her curves, then followed the heated trail with his mouth. Once, twice, three times, he let himself feast on the slippery flesh between her thighs, before quickly putting on protection and climbing back up over her so that the full length of her naked skin was pressed all along his.

Suzanne gasped as he filled her, her gasp turning to a moan as he rocked against her faster, harder, deeper, until her release crashed through them both and became his too.

”I love you,” he whispered against her lips. He would never grow tired of saying it, would never get enough of loving her. And he would never stop being thankful that he'd signed on to protect Suzanne Sullivan.

She hadn't needed a bodyguard. But she had needed love.

His love.

Forever.

EPILOGUE.

Alec Sullivan barely held himself back as Suzanne gave Roman a seriously inappropriate thank-you kiss for the ruby earrings he'd given her to celebrate the huge success of her new digital security product.

”You're holding up like a champ,” Calvin noted in a low voice beside him.

Alec reached for his bottle of beer, before realizing he'd already emptied it. ”Just wait until your sister starts dating. You're going to be a freaking mess.”

Calvin didn't argue with him as he looked over at Jordan, his ten-year-old sister he'd raised practically from birth. ”Hopefully we're at least a decade away from that.”

Alec decided the kindest thing would be to let that one go. Calvin would surely be put through the wringer of watching his sister fall in love and get her heart broken soon enough.

He turned to gaze out at Summer Lake through the Inn's large parlor window. His father was here, along with Drake and Rosa and Harry. They'd grown up coming to the lake, so plenty of locals had turned out too. Christie was supposed to be celebrating with them, but half the time she was running around supervising her staff. Denise and Olive from the knitting store were there, along with his father's business partners, Henry and Jean. Alec loved the fast pace of the city, but there was no question that Summer Lake was a great community. His father had been lucky to land here.

”You guys are pairing off so fast lately,” Calvin said. ”I was half expecting you or Harry to show up today with someone on your arm.”

”There's no chance of that happening with me,” Alec said with a firm shake of his head. ”Although Harry's always been a quiet one, so he could surprise us one of these days. Or,” Alec added with a grin, ”maybe you'll be the next one to lose your mind over someone.”

”I don't think so.”

Alec didn't know the full story of what had happened between Calvin and Sarah, Calvin's high school sweetheart. Back when they were teenagers, everyone thought the two of them were going to be together forever. But that hadn't happened. Sarah had left Summer Lake in the dust, and Alec always had the sense that Calvin had never quite gotten over her.

Alec was happy Drake and Suzanne had found their happily-ever-afters. But Calvin's brutal lost-love story was yet another reminder that no matter how good Alec's siblings had it now, the rest of them should stay the h.e.l.l away from love.

Grabbing two beers from a pa.s.sing waiter, Alec handed one to his friend. ”Here's to being mayor of a h.e.l.l of a great town with a new group of pretty tourists to choose from each week. What more could a guy need?”

As Calvin knocked his bottle against Alec's and drank, he pretended not to notice his friend's heart didn't seem to be in it. And if his own heart wasn't either, well, that was too d.a.m.ned bad.

Because Alec Sullivan was never going to fall in love.

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Alec Sullivan and Harry Sullivan's upcoming stories, the third and fourth New York Sullivan books, will be coming soon! Please be sure to sign up for my newsletter (BellaAndre.com/Newsletter) so that I can let you know as soon as I have the release dates for their books.

And don't miss two upcoming Summer Lake romances, coming this spring and summer! Calvin, the Mayor of Summer Lake, reconnects with a lost love in The Best Is Yet To Come. And Christie, who runs the Inn at Summer Lake, falls in love with the last man she ever thought possible in Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.

The following books in Bella Andre's New York Times & USA Today bestselling series about The Sullivans are out now!.

THE LOOK OF LOVE.

(Chase & Chloe) FROM THIS MOMENT ON.

(Marcus & Nicola).

CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE (Gabe & Megan).

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU.

(Sophie & Jake) IF YOU WERE MINE.

(Zach & Heather).

LET ME BE THE ONE.

(Ryan & Vicki).