She was still breathing hard, and so was he, but he couldn’t wait to tell her. “I love you, Trace.” He gulped for air. “I love you and I want to marry you and have babies with you.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. We belong together. We always have. I knew it on New Year’s Eve, but then I let stupid thoughts get in the way. I love you and you love me. Let’s admit it and be done with all this other crap.”
“Are you insane?”
“Yes! Insanely in love with you.”
“No, you’re not! It’s the red light! It’s the undies! I was trying to make you growl, and you did, but you weren’t supposed to propose! This is all my fault. Again!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone… gave me those undies and said we should get wild and crazy, so I?—”
“Who gave them to you?”
“I’m not telling.”
“You don’t have to. It was Auntie Kat. I don’t care. Great idea. I loved it.”
“You overreacted! I had no idea some red light and ripping off my undies would hijack your brain into thinking you’re in love with me. You just think you are. It’s just sex. We’ve talked about this. Whether it’s the forbidden fruit thing or the rebound thing, we can’t trust it!”
He took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, which had kind of a red glow. Demonic but arousing. “Yes, wecan. Don’t let your head decide. It’ll come up with all kinds of doubtsand fears. I know. It happened to me. Listen to your gut. Listen to your heart.”
“Adam, you don’t know what you’re saying. You’re under the influence of all this. I created this atmosphere because we’re having a fling and this is the kind of sex you’re supposed to have during a fling. At least I think it is. This is the only one I’ve ever had, so I?—”
“You’re not listening. I spent most of the night going over… everything. What we’re feeling is the real deal. It only seemed to come out of nowhere because we’ve been denying this feeling ever since we hit puberty. Sure, the sex is epic. It should be when two people are so in tune.”
She swallowed. “I want to believe you.”
“Then believe me.”
“I can’t. If you’re wrong, and we discover six months down the road that you were wrong, my whole world will burn to the ground.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Tracy’s head ached from the pressure of unshed tears. But she wouldn’t cry. That would undermine her argument, and she had to make it, had to convince him he was letting all this feel-good sex lead him astray.
His proposal had scared the shit out of her. Still did. When Adam Bridger made up his mind, he dug in. He truly believed they were soul mates. Even in this wonky light, she could see it in his eyes.
“Does Luis have anything to do with this?”
No answer.
“He does, doesn’t he? You went to see him last night and he gave us his blessing, so now you think?—”
“It’s not just Luis. Listen, let me get rid of this condom and we’ll talk.” He left for the bathroom.
Once he was gone, she hopped out of bed. Well, hopped was an exaggeration. She’d never had sex like that and she was shaky. All she wanted was to curl up with the man who’d provided it. But the red napkins had to go. Then she turned off the lamps, leaving the room in a dusky, twilight haze.
Her alarm clock sat staring at her, its illuminated hands pointing out they had less than twenty minutes left in the hour. Would it be enough to turn things around?
She’d been so tickled by his growling routine, so happy that they’d had what anyone would call a wild and crazy time in bed. But now….
“I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that.”
She turned as he walked toward her, a frown creasing the spot between his brows, his expression telling her he was marshalling his forces.
