I don’t try to stop the tears. That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me. I lean forward, wrap my arms around his neck, and kiss him. I can taste the salt of my tears, and I use that to pour every bit of emotion I feel for Alex into this kiss. All the apprehension about telling him I’m leaving Cal flies out of the window as Alex reciprocates my affection. Before things get too carried away, I pull back. “I have something for you too.” I stand up and pull on his hand so that he follows me. Once we’re in the bedroom that I’ve been sleeping in, I gesture for him to have a seat on the bed.

“I didn’t have a chance to wrap this,” I say as I dig through a drawer to pull out the gift I made for him. I hand him the small frame. It’s nothing fancy, just a plain, sleek, silver frame, but it’s what’s inside that matters.

“A button?” His head tilts to the side as he stares at the button neatly placed in the center of the glass. He looks up at me, confusion written all over his face.

I sit down next to him on the edge of the bed. “This isn’t just any button, but one of the buttons you so graciously tore off my blouse that day in the kitchen.” A slow, salacious grin spreads across his face. I roll my eyes. “You’re such a perv. That’s not the reason I gave it to you.” Suddenly, I’m nervous again and I understand why Alex was acting bizarre when he had to explain his gift to me.

When I swept up the buttons that were scattered around the kitchen, I had missed this one. There it was sitting in the middle of the island. I could’ve sworn I cleaned that area off, but I looked at it as a sign. Like everything involving Alex, I was drawn to it for some unexplainable reason, so I kept it. At the time, I planned to hold on to it as a memento to my time with Alex.

“That day in the kitchen, I wanted to give myself to you, but we both knew I couldn’t. Things have changed and this button signifies the first step in my journey to finding myself and being happy. A journey that started with you.”

He shakes his head slightly. “I’m still not following you, sweetheart.”

“I’m leaving Cal.” My words come out barely above a whisper. Now that I’ve said it out loud, reality has slammed down on me. I’m terrified of what will happen, how Cal will react, and what my future holds. But looking into Alex’s sweet eyes, I know I can get through all of it with him by my side.

He sits up straight. “What—how—what about your mother?” he stammers through his questions.

I hold up my hand. “I talked to my mom this morning while you were out. Her MS is in remission. She doesn’t need the treatments or the other expensive medication anymore.” He pulls me into a crushing hug, and for a moment all of my fears over this huge decision are forgotten. I really never thought I’d ever be able to leave the hell I’m living in. I’ve been resigned to the fact that I’ll spend the rest of my life in this unhappy, unhealthy marriage to prolong my mother’s quality of life. My lies created this web of deception that blocked out any light to expose my true self.

With Alex’s help, I’ve been able to pull back the layers thread by thread, and I now see a ray of hope shining out before me. Happiness is within my reach, and the thought of grabbing hold of it supersedes any of the doubts I have about leaving.

“That’s awesome!” He pulls back and places a few kisses on me before holding my face in my hands and searching my face. My mouth turns up in the corners, but the quiver of my bottom lip gives away my emotions. “What’s wrong?”

I’m just going to come out and say it. “Are you coming with me?” My teeth rake over my bottom lip.

“Seriously? I thought that was the plan all along if you were able to get out.” I breathe out a sigh of relief that’s cut short by Alex’s lips on mine. It doesn’t take long for his sweet kisses to turn downright sinful. He explores my mouth with his tongue, eliciting moans from me when he strokes the right spots. I break the kiss, kick off my shoes, and crawl backward up the bed, maintaining eye contact the whole time in invitation. He accepts without hesitation, following after me like an animal on the hunt. I’m lying on my back while he settles himself on top of me with his hips wedged between the apex of my thighs. Each hand is placed on either side of my head supporting his body weight as he’s suspended above me. He stares into my eyes like he always does, seeking the final go ahead before things advance. I fist the front of his shirt in my hand and pull him down onto me until his mouth collides with mine.

He tortures me with his mouth as he nips, sucks, and kisses me, working my body into a frenzy, until I’m writhing for more contact. Soon, I can’t take it anymore. “Please, Alex. I need more.”

“Shhh, don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll get more. Just relax and enjoy everything I do to you.” Oh, I am. That’s not the problem. The problem is the painful throbbing in my clit as I rub my center against him in a desperate need for friction. Taking the hint, Alex hooks his fingers in the top of my pants, dragging them down my legs at a painfully slow pace. Once he removes them, he moves back up my body while placing open-mouth kisses up my leg, to my inner thigh, and on my panty-covered heat. My hips jerk at the contact, liquid pooling in my center as he teases his way around the spot I want him the most. I fist my hands in his hair trying to direct him to my core, but he laughs softly before pulling away from my reach. “Place your hands above your head,” he commands. When I realize he’s not going to touch me until I comply, I reluctantly put my hands above my head as the torture continues. But God, what a glorious torture it is. I’ve never been with a man who puts my needs above his own, and the fact that Alex wants to prolong my pleasure makes me want to tear his clothes off right here, right now.

His hands grasp the hem of my shirt, revealing a sliver of skin at a time as his mouth follows. My back arches when he kisses between my breasts, stopping to suck on the swells that aren’t covered by my black bra. I sit up slightly so he can pull the shirt off of my head. Before I can lay back down, his mouth is already on me again. He moves to my right breast, gently biting my nipple through the fabric creating a dull pain that makes me want more.

“Ahhh, Alex,” I say breathlessly as his teeth gently clamp down on my hard nipple. My legs wrap around his waist and pull him into me as I grind my body against his. The feel of his hard erection lets me know that he’s as affected by this as I am, and it’s a heady feeling.

“Sit up for me,” he says against my skin that’s been set ablaze by his touch. I do as he asks and he reaches around behind me to unclasp my bra. Once I’m set free from my restraint, Alex palms each with his hands. Looking back into my eyes, he says, “My God. You’re fucking perfection.” By the look and emotions pouring from his eyes, I know he’s talking about more than my breasts. I work hard to keep my emotions at bay, not wanting to ruin the moment by crying. But I’ve never had a man make me feel so important and want to show me in so many ways. He gently squeezes my breasts and my back arches again, thrusting them into his hands. He tweaks my nipples, rolling them between his fingers. I cry out in pleasure and throw my head back.

Pulling my gaze back down to Alex, I notice that he’s still fully clothed, and that’s just not going to work for me. I begin the task of unbuttoning his shirt, but once I’ve gotten a few undone, I lose my patience and end up grabbing the back of his collar and pulling it up and over his head. I run into a snag when I realize the sleeves are still buttoned, but make quick work of remedying that problem. Once that’s off, his undershirt soon follows. This is the first time I’ve seen him shirtless, and I could kick myself for not undressing him sooner. Every inch of tanned skin is mouth watering. His pecs, abs, and biceps are all sculpted to perfection. As my eyes travel over his body, I notice a few scars that start at his shoulder and trail halfway down his arm. The gravity of what he told me earlier hits me, and I realize just how close he was to never coming home. To never meeting me. I reach out to lightly touch them and when my eyes come back up to his, I see him watching me intently. Leaning in, I place a soft kiss on each scar, grateful that this man is here and with me.