Crashing into Love by Flora Ferrari

Chapter Nine

Conrad

Her words bounce around inside of me, ricocheting and exploding and going in a hundred different directions. Something inside of me howls, a primal and beastly force, and before I know it I’m laughing like a madman.

I stand up and laugh, as the relief sears through me, as the joy of this moment hums and burns inside of me, the word repeating itself like a promise.

Virgin, virgin, virgin.

I can’t remember the last time so much relief washed through me, not even at work when I’ve completed a particularly difficult operation.

“Hey.” She glares, sitting up and grabbing the blanket, putting it around her legs to hide her nakedness. “Freaking heck, Conrad. There’s no reason to laugh at me.”

I rush over to her, realizing my mistake. Kneeling next to the bed, I take her hands in mine, staring firmly into her eyes so she can feel the possessive ownership in my gaze, so she can sense the all-consuming desire to claim her inside of me.

“I’m not laughing at you, Callie,” I tell her.

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Because I can’t believe how lucky I am. Because I can’t believe that, after so many years waiting, you’re so perfect.”

She gasps and tilts her head at me. In the semidarkness, she looks somehow more vulnerable, like any second a dark could swallow her up. That triggers something inside of me, a protective impulse so strong that it has me ready to kill any bastard foolish enough to try and hurt my woman.

“I don’t understand,” she whispers.

“Callie.” I squeeze her hand harder, hoping she can feel through my touch what I can’t tell her with my word. “I need to make something clear.”

“What?”

I smirk. “I’m not insane, okay? At least, no more than any other surgeon. But I’ve got complete control of my faculties. I’m not a crazy person.”

She giggles, despite the clear nervousness written across her features. “Yeah, I can see you’re not crazy. But what does that have to do with laughing at me?”

“What I’m going to tell you will sound insane. It will sound like I’ve completely lost my mind.”

She sits up, running her thumb over my knuckles, tilting her head as skepticism takes hold of her perfect features now. “Okay…”

“When I first saw you,” I growl, unable to hold it back anymore, “I knew I had to claim you. I knew I had to make you mine. All my damn life, I’ve been waiting for the woman who would ignite something in me, who would make me feel something, anything other than cold. I was waiting for the impossible, my dad said, my friend said, I was waiting for a woman who didn’t exist. But then I found her – I found you. You crashed into my life.”

She whimpers at the reminder of how we met.

“Your mine now.”

Perhaps I should take it slower, lay the groundwork first, but I can’t stop myself from giving her the whole truth.

I can’t stop myself from tearing open my soul and sharing what’s inside.

“Do you understand? You belong to me. For the rest of your life. You are mine. No other man ever gets to touch you. No other man ever gets to be with you or even think about being with you. I’ll fight and bleed and kill to protect you, to protect our family… our family because that’s what we’re going to have. I’m going to fill your young fertile body with children, lots of children, enough to fill our home with laughter and happiness and hope.”

I stop, panting heavily, realizing I might’ve gone too far. I planned to tell her how I felt, but not on unleashing myself like that, on exploding with all the primal force of my claim.

Maybe I should’ve taken it slower if her facial expression is any indicator.

She stares at me with her mouth hanging open, her eyes filled with too many conflicting emotions. It’s like there’s a fading sun inside of her, flaring to life one minute and then threatening to supernova the next. I don’t know what’s going on inside of my woman, my woman, and it bothers me.

“Callie?” I murmur gruffly, as she just stares at me, saying nothing.

“Is this a trick?” she whispers after a moment. “A game? A joke?”

I flinch. “What?”

“Just answer the question.” There’s a warble in her voice as she pulls her hand away, folding her arms. “Because surely you can see how unbelievable this is.”

“How?” I snap.

She waves her hand, glaring at me, her eyebrows furrowed. Despite the rage now clear in her eyes, I can’t help but admire her sassiness, admire the fire the burns inside of her, telling me our children are going to be strong and self-assured.

Her sassiness blazing through her shyness like the sun blossoming from behind thick clouds.

“Because look at you and look at me,” she hisses. “You’re an experienced freaking… just look at you. You could be on the cover of a magazine.”

I smirk. “I guess by experienced, you mean old?”

“No, no, no,” she says firmly. “I mean experienced. I like our age gap, actually.”

“How old are you?” I ask.

“Twenty. And you?”

“Forty-three.” I let out a husky breath. “Are you sure I’m not too ancient for you?”

She giggles, which was my plan all along – to make her laugh, to push her sadness aside. “No, not even close. That’s not what I’m trying to say at all. I like that you’re older, more experienced, able to help me, guide me through life… but…”

“But what?”

She groans. “Can’t you see how unbelievable this is from my point of view? We only met earlier today and I’m not exactly the sort of woman men just fall for.”

“Good,” I snarl. “Because the thought of another man touching you, being with you, it makes me sick. It makes me want to hunt down this mystery man and make him pay. So I’m glad you haven’t got a bunch of men out there, gunning for you.”

She blinks, as though fighting back tears. “But then why do you want me?”

I reach across, my chest tight at the note of sadness in her voice. It’s like she can’t possibly accept how beautiful she is, how curvy and sassy and appealing in every damn way.

“Because everything inside of me, every instinct, is roaring at me to claim you.”

“But look at you.” She shakes her head firmly. “And look at me. You’re ripped, muscular as hell, handsome. You’re rich. You’re a surgeon. You must have women throwing themselves at you all the time.”

I look closely at her, wondering if she’s talking about the pink bundle Alexis left on my door handle. My gut tightens and part of me roars to tell her, but if she doesn’t know there’s no reason to muddy her mind with all that mess. She doesn’t deserve to be weighed down by it.

“I don’t want anyone else,” I growl. “I only want you. Forever. I swear on my dead mother you’re the only woman I want. I swear on my dead mother this isn’t a trick, a game, anything like that. I fucking swear, Callie, so please stop doubting this. It’s happening. I need you.”

I reach forward and cradle her face in my hands, looking firmly into her eyes.

“This isn’t a game. This is happening. I can’t explain it. But it’s happening.”

She swallows, and then reaches up and touches my hand. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Good.” She lets out a shaky breath. “Because I feel the same, Conrad. I felt the same the second I saw you. I’ve been having all these crazy feelings, all these crazy fantasies. It’s like…”

She giggles, the most adorable sound, and her eyes light up temptingly.

“What?” I urge.

“It’s like my womb is talking to me.” She shakes her head. “How insane is that? But it’s what it feels like, like there’s this force inside of me, urging me to have your babies. I can’t explain it.”

I smirk. “Neither can I. But it doesn’t stop it from being real, does it?”

She whimpers and shakes her head. “No, it doesn’t. But I’m sorry, Conrad. I don’t think I can do – you know – that tonight.”

I chuckle and slide my hand down to her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. I have to chuckle or the beast inside of me will force me to leap on her, ignoring her desire to wait.

I’ll tear the blanket from her and bend her over, slamming into that tight heat as her round luscious cheeks jiggle and shake for me.

“You can say it,” I tell her. “Sex. It’s okay.”

She averts her gaze, a cute-as-fuck pout on her lips. “I don’t think I can. I know it’s silly. Do you think maybe…”

“What?” I growl.

She flinches, as though the force of my voice reverberates through her. “Do you think we could lie down for a while, maybe? This has been one heck of a long day. But I don’t want to be apart from you.”

I can read the message burning in her eyes – calling out to me.

If you leave, I might start wondering if this was a trick again.

“Come here,” I say, climbing onto bed with her, lying down, and pulling her into my arms.

She lets out a breathy sigh and lays her cheek against my chest. And moans softly as I trail my fingers through her hair. “That feels nice.”

I make a sound somewhere between an affirmation and a beast’s growl, hardly able to contain myself when I think about her exposed sex beneath the sheets.

But I can’t let myself do anything else with her, not tonight, I have to respect my woman’s wishes.

For now, it’s enough to be with her, listening to the sound of her breathing, knowing she feels the same impossible feelings burning endlessly inside me.