The Renegade

His heart cracked open and words spilled out.
“I came here for you,” he said, his voice a bare whisper. “Only for you

“Someday I’m going to hear you scream in orgasmic bliss. That’s all I’m saying

did. I need you, Isabelle. Maybe you should marry me

He’d slept on the floor that night.
It had taken him weeks to get used to that bed. Once he did, he rarely invited women to stay overnight. As a child he’d slept very lightly, always alert for someone sneaking near his bed. As a grown man with more and more money, he didn’t want distractions. He still struggled with trust.
Until he’d gotten stranded in an airport with a vibrant, down-to-earth, idealistic doctor who had no idea who he was

Near the one woman in all those years who’d made time stop.
That night in Rome, he hadn’t thought about the past or the future. He’d thought only about her. Isabelle