Page 110 of Scandal
It’s another beautiful, sunny day in Scotland. Blackstone’s garden is bursting with blooms, and I tilt my head back, feeling the warmth soak into my skin, when I hear footsteps on the path behind me.
“You know, we might have to start thanking you for all this warm weather we’re getting,” Asher teases. “I think you brought a bit of LA with you when you came.”
I feel his arms wrap around my waist, and I melt into his embrace, grateful that Evie is no longer required to follow me every second of the day. Ash is right, Theodora does seem to have a soft spot for me. “Something else you’re going to miss when I’m gone.”
His body instantly tenses behind me.
“I’m sorry,” I say, turning to face him and studying his face. His expression is etched with pain. Shit. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s okay. It’s actually why I asked you to meet me here.”
My pulse begins to race. “Is everything all right? Is your dad okay? Do you need me to?—”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
My brows shoot up. “What?”
He takes my hand and pulls us over to a nearby stone bench. We sit, our knees knocking together as he says, “I’ve already made a mess of this. What I should have said from the start is this.” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “I love you, Mercury. I love you, and I don’t want you to leave in a month or a year. I want you to stay with me forever. And I know that’s a big ask, and I’m quite a lot to take on, but I promise I’ll try to make it worth the cost?—”
I lunge forward, making him grunt as I silence him with a soul-searing kiss. His grunt turns into a heated groan as his hands find my waist and pull me into his lap.
“I love you too,” I say when we finally break apart.
He smirks. “I got that part when you attacked me mid-sentence. But it’s bloody good to hear. Does this mean you’re going to stay?”
I look at him so he knows I’m sincere. “I never wanted to leave.”
“But what about your job and your family? Will you be happy here?”
It’s something I’ve thought about for a while now. “I’ll miss my family like crazy,” I tell him. “But I’d miss you more. My life is here now. With you.”
“And your job?”
“I worked so hard to get where I am?—”
“I know, and I don’t want you to lose that.”
I smile, loving how passionate he’s willing to fight for me. “I wasn’t finished yet.”
Chuckling, he kisses my forehead. “Continue.”
“But, like I said before, I missed so much along the way, and I think I forgot, in my quest to prove I could succeed, that life is more than just a career.”
He nods, understanding spreading across his face. “I think I forgot that too.”
“I want a whole life, and I want it here with you. I don’t want to lose that creative side of myself—I believe neither of us should—but I want it to be a part of me, not all of me. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, love. It does. And I’ll support you in whatever endeavors you choose to do in the future.”
“As will I.”
He kisses me again, but this time it’s intense and desperate. His hands grip my hair, and I let out a small moan of pleasure. Before long, we’re almost dry humping on the little stone bench in the middle of the garden, where anyone passing by could see.
“Lift your skirt, love, and slide those panties to the side,” he says against my ear.
I give him a scandalized look. “Here?”
“Aye.” His eyes darken. “Here.”
