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  They stood in silence for a few moments. Derick’s eyes darted from Siobhan to the paintings and back to Siobhan. “God, I don’t…this is so…I’m really overwhelmed.”

  Siobhan nodded and took a small step back to give him the space he obviously needed. “Tell you what. Tomorrow around noon I’m going to go up the Empire State Building and make one final wish. If you decide…” Her voice started to break, so she cleared her throat. “If you think of anything you’d like to wish for, then you can meet me there. And if not…” She allowed a shrug to speak the words she didn’t think she’d be able to get out.

  Derick ran a hand through his hair as he gave the paintings one last look. Then he turned to her and nodded.

  Smiling softly, Siobhan turned to go back to her guests.

  “Siobhan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “No matter where you thought life would take you, you were meant to end up here in this gallery. Only you could’ve breathed this kind of life into it.”

  “I know,” she replied softly, finally accepting what he offered.

  Chapter 23

  Derick needed to get away from the gallery, away from Siobhan, and away from…everything. The frigid night air was abrasive, but Derick was trying to feel anything other than raw.

  Derick’s hand reached into his pocket to grab his phone. He’d told his driver to circle the block until he received Derick’s call. But the thought of being cooped up in a confined space—even if that space was fairly large—made Derick’s skin crawl. He needed to be out in the open where he could take deep, clear breaths and process everything that had just happened.

  He put the call through, let the driver know he was going to walk, and hung up as he heard the driver asking if he was sure.

  Because Derick wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  But then he realized that that wasn’t totally true. He was sure that breaking things off with Siobhan had been the right move. Yeah, it hurt like hell, and he felt a loss akin to losing a limb—or at least what Derick thought such a loss would feel like—but that didn’t make it wrong. Look at all Siobhan had accomplished since he’d left her alone. She was flourishing, and he would, too. Eventually. He was pretty sure.

  Derick didn’t want to go home to his empty apartment, but the streets were crowded and bustling, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. So when he came upon a movie theater, Derick went in and walked up to the counter. “One adult, please.”

  “Uh, for which movie, sir?”

  Derick scanned the movie titles listed behind the kid at the counter. “Which one is beginning next?”

  “A Savior in Blue just started.”

  Derick had vaguely recognized it. He was pretty sure it was an action movie. “Sounds good.” Derick paid and was given his ticket in return. “Thanks,” he said before making his way into the theater.

  He went directly into the movie and found a seat near the front. The opening credits were still playing, and Derick settled back into his seat, hoping to get lost in the plot to give his mind a brief reprieve from the disaster that was his relationship with Siobhan.

  Who did she think she was, anyway, painting all of those pieces and forcing him to take a trip down memory lane? Did she really think he needed the reminder of the time they spent together? Because he didn’t. There was nothing about Siobhan he’d forgotten. He was worried he’d never forget.

  As the movie began, he glanced around him. He was surrounded by couples. Figures. But as he slumped back in his seat, he realized that he and Siobhan had never been one of these couples. How was it possible that after all they’d been through, they’d never gone to a movie together?

  The thought made the cloud of irritation that had been hovering over him burst into a downpour of sadness. He’d always been focused on making things special, bordering on over-the-top, even though it often made Siobhan uncomfortable. Sitting in a dark theater holding hands would have been enough for her.

  Derick felt a profound sense of loss at all of the simple moments they had never shared. The ones they never would share, unless he made a different choice. All this time, he’d been so sure of what he was giving up by walking away. The clenching in his chest told him he hadn’t even begun to imagine it.

  Staring at the screen, Derick tried to force his brain to focus on the movie. By about the halfway point, he congratulated himself on being moderately successful. Unfortunately, that was when the main character—who was a police officer—started to fall in love with the woman he was protecting.

  As the movie continued, and the on-screen relationship grew steamier, Derick began to fidget. Obviously, there was no parallel between what he’d had with Siobhan and what was playing out on the screen, especially since he was pretty sure Siobhan had never been hunted by the mob. But watching something real—or fictionally real—develop between two people who appeared to be opposites…it was overwhelming. Which was why Derick found himself getting up and exiting the theater before the movie ended. He wasn’t up for the happily-ever-after moment.

  Once outside, he hailed a cab and gave his address. He barely remembered the ride, his mind a chaotic jumble of scenarios, consequences, and truths. When he arrived at his building, he paid the fare and hurried up to his apartment.

  Staring out at the New York skyline lit up in the dark and starless night, Derick laid it all out to himself. Siobhan had poured her heart out to him in her paintings. He knew that. But how many times had he done the same, only to be cut off by her? He loved her—God, did he love her—but was that enough?

  He’d wished for so many things since he met her, and he hadn’t been granted any of them. Could he go to the top of the Empire State Building the next day and make another, knowing the outcome would likely be the same?

  He just didn’t know.

  Eventually he threw himself into bed and fell into a fitful sleep. The next morning, he stood in his closet wondering what kind of day he should be dressing for. He was no closer to knowing what to do than he had been the night before. His heart said one thing while his brain told him another. It was torture.

  He looked down at his watch. It was quarter after eleven, and if he didn’t make up his mind soon, he’d lose the ability to even make a choice.

  Screw it. Sometimes, when his brain and heart couldn’t get on the same page, Derick had to rely on his gut instinct. And as he walked out of his closet, he hoped his instincts wouldn’t fail him when he needed them most.

  Chapter 24

  The display on her phone showed the time: twelve thirty. There was her answer. He really wasn’t coming.

  Siobhan gripped the fence surrounding the observation deck and leaned into it, breathing in the cold air and willing it to numb her insides. “So that’s it then,” she whispered to herself as if the words could convince her heart to stop aching.

  She pushed her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out the penny she’d put there that morning. As she stared at it, she silently talked herself out of making the obvious wish: that he would still show up and take her back. It was abundantly clear that that wasn’t happening so to wish for it would be a waste. This was the last wish she ever intended to make, after all. She had to make it good.

  Finally, it came to her. And as a single tear streaked down her cheek, she said the wish aloud to give it flight. “Be happy, Derick.” She placed the penny onto the ledge, and then took a small step back, crossing her arms over her chest and staring out at the city.

  She felt someone move next to her, so she scooted over to make room for them. Her eyes caught movement beside her as a hand reached out toward her penny. Just as she was about to yell at the stranger not to touch it, she saw the hand drop a penny right beside hers.

  Her head whipped around toward the stranger. Or the man she thought was a stranger. She felt her eyes widen as her lips parted.

  “Thank goodness you can never be too late to make a wish. Otherwise I’d have missed my chance,” Derick said.

  Siobhan bit h
er lower lip and willed the tears not to fall. “What did you wish for?” she asked, emotion making her voice low and gravelly.

  Derick turned toward her and pulled her to him. His smile was wide. “To kiss you on top of the Empire State Building.”

  She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. “You wished for that last time.”

  “What can I say? I believe in sticking with what works.” And with that, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

  Neither of them moved to deepen the kiss. The steady contact was all they needed in that moment. It was more than Siobhan had ever hoped to experience again.

  When Derick pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. “What was your wish?”

  Siobhan nuzzled closer to him for a second. For some reason, she was slightly embarrassed to tell him her wish. But after a couple of seconds of contemplation, she pulled back so she could look him in the eyes, and said, “For you to be happy.”

  Derick smiled brightly. “Guess we both got what we wished for then.”

  And as Siobhan wound her arms around Derick’s neck, she knew that actually, they’d gotten something more.

  Chapter 25

  Derick couldn’t keep his hands off of Siobhan. He gave it a valiant effort since they were, after all, in public. But his self-control—which had never been anything to brag about—was crumbling.

  He hadn’t wanted to rush Siobhan back to his place. The last time they’d done that was a less-than-happy memory for them, and he wanted to do better this time. Be better. So he’d suggested grabbing lunch, to which Siobhan had happily agreed.

  It had started with a hand on her back as they got on the crowded elevator. Then it progressed to him pulling her body flush against his front—to make more room, of course—as they rode down. He was going to reach for her hand when they made their way onto the sidewalk, but that wasn’t enough contact, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders instead.

  They walked to a small café on the corner and were seated fairly quickly, considering it was the lunch rush. As Derick sat across from her, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the fact that they were there together. It had all come down to the one fact that he knew was indisputable: he would never love anyone the way he loved Siobhan.

  And despite the doubts he’d still had during his trip to the Empire State Building, once he’d gotten there, the tension had immediately drained from him. It was like his body instinctively knew what his mind had been struggling to accept.

  “Derick?”

  Siobhan’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Yeah?”

  “Would you like to order a drink from this nice woman?” Siobhan smirked at him.

  It made him want to kiss her. “Uh, sure, um, I’ll have a water for now.”

  The server smiled and left their table, which made Derick realize Siobhan must have already ordered. Jesus, he’d been really out of it.

  Derick and Siobhan looked across the table at each other, and Derick wondered how he’d let a table come between them. As the silence stretched out, both of them started raising their eyebrows at the other, creating a standoff about who should start the discussion. Finally, the two of them started laughing.

  “I guess we should talk?”

  The server dropped off waters, and Siobhan took a long drink. “About what?” she asked.

  “About us?” This time it really was a question.

  Siobhan folded her hands on top of the table. “Haven’t we already done a lot of that?”

  Derick let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, we have.”

  “I’m not sure anything else needs to be said. We’ve both shared how we felt ad nauseam. And you showing up today says everything about where we’re going from here. I think we’re good.”

  Derick leaned toward her. “Then what are we doing here?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Derick nodded, called his driver, and signaled for the server. When she arrived, Derick handed her a twenty before ushering Siobhan toward the exit and into his SUV.

  The ride back to his apartment was filled with roving hands and passionate kisses. The urgency of the night almost a month ago was gone, but the anticipation was stronger than ever.

  Once in his apartment, they wasted no time. They tore the clothes from each other, dropping them along the path toward Derick’s bedroom. A few times, they laughed at their savage desire. There was a lightness to their lust. Derick felt like he was burning to the ground and levitating into the air. It was something he’d only ever felt with Siobhan and something he’d never take for granted.

  Derick lifted Siobhan, who immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, then walked into his room and dropped her on the bed, causing her to bounce slightly. They smiled at each other before their gazes locked, and the amusement was replaced by yearning. He lowered himself on top of her and claimed her mouth.

  Her tongue eagerly met his, but she let him lead the kiss, which he was thankful for. Derick needed to run this show. He needed to pour every ounce of what she meant to him into this experience. Needed her to know that she was his.

  His mouth kissed along her jaw, moving toward her ear. He sucked on the lobe before whispering, “You are never leaving me again.”

  “No. Never.”

  “It wasn’t a question,” he growled. He slid his cock against her clit, causing her to moan.

  “Please, Derick.”

  He brought a hand up to her neck and caressed the skin there. “Please what?” He placed kisses on the soft skin below his hand. “Tell me what you need, and then trust me to give it to you.”

  She groaned as he ground his achingly hard cock against her. His mouth moved down to suck on one of her nipples, which caused her to arch off the bed. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  “Always,” he replied as he moved to the other nipple.

  “But not soft.”

  His tongue continued to tease the sensitive bud. “How do you want it?”

  She pushed her hands into his hair, keeping his mouth on her.

  “Answer me, Siobhan.”

  She moaned again. “Hard. I need…I can’t…just…”

  Derick moved back up so that he could look her in the eyes. He saw the tears swimming there. He moved his fingers so that he could lightly comb them through her hair. “I know, baby. Me, too.”

  And he did know. They needed to forge a new bond, and this one needed to be unbreakable. She needed them to be one in every way possible. He did, too. They were incomplete alone. Erasing that feeling of desperate loneliness wasn’t enough. It needed to be shattered. “Trust me?” he asked.

  “Yes.” The look in her eyes spoke to the truth of her words.

  He smiled at her. “Then reach up and grab the headboard.”

  Her face relaxed and she instantly complied.

  He sat back on his heels between her spread legs and looked at her. His fingers traced over her skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.

  Siobhan writhed beneath him, but she didn’t take her hands away from the headboard and she didn’t attempt to regain some control by pushing up into his hands. She was pliant and submissive beneath him.

  Which made his cock impossibly harder. Unable to hold back, he let his fingers wander to the apex of her thighs. He rubbed circles over her clit as the fingers of his other hand pushed deep inside of her.

  “Oh, my God,” she moaned. Her hips swayed into his movements, her body close to quaking.

  “I can’t wait to put my cock inside of you.”

  “Don’t…don’t wait. I need it.”

  He withdrew his hand and used her wetness to slick himself. Then he moved his body above her again. “Look at me.”

  Siobhan opened her eyes, and the desire and adoration he saw there almost made him lose it.

  “I love you,” he said as he pushed his cock to the hilt inside of her.

  Her hands gripped the headboard as she locked her elbows so his thrusts wouldn’t move her up the
bed. “I love you, too,” she said. “So much.”

  His next thrust made speaking impossible for either of them. He rocked his hips into her, his sac slapping against her ass. Their moans and groans were guttural, the sound of his cock sliding in and out of her obscene. He continued to pump into her, chasing both of their orgasms.

  Her pants became more erratic, her body wound tighter. She threw her head back as she convulsed. The throbbing pulse of her release made his balls tighten as a tingle raced up his spine.

  Derick dropped to his elbows as he caged her body in. He pumped his hips furiously. Closing his eyes tightly, he shuddered as he came.

  Spent, he collapsed into her, and buried his face in her hair. Their sweat-slicked bodies began to shiver as the heat they had created began to dissipate. But neither of them made any attempt to move.

  Derick felt Siobhan’s fingernails scrape lightly along his back. He lifted his head to look at her. “Hey,” he whispered before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He felt her smile.

  “Hey.”

  Resting his forehead on top of hers, he basked in the closeness that he once foolishly thought he could live without.

  Siobhan’s hands began to roam again, and Derick couldn’t resist rocking against her as his cock began to perk back up.

  She gasped. “You want me again?”

  “I’ll always want you,” he replied. He kissed her deeply, and then trailed his lips down her neck. “I also have to teach you a lesson.”

  “For what?” she asked on a laugh that sounded more like a sigh.

  He lifted his head so his eyes could connect with hers. “Did I tell you to let go of the headboard?”

  Siobhan’s eyes widened. Then her mouth twisted into a delicious grin. She took her hands off of him and made a show of pushing them up the bed so she could grip the headboard.