“What are you, twelve? Will you break up with me if he says so?”
The thunder in my pulse is deafening. “You’re already agreeing to be mine?”
She bumps her leg into me. “I thought that was obvious when we stepped off the ledge. Refusing you isn’t an option, Gray.”
I pull on her arm, stopping us before we cross into the meadow. “But you can. Hell, you probably should.”
“For a man who pretends to give zero shits, you sure do well with trying to scare me off. Stop attempting to convince me that this is a bad idea, Gray. I’ll never agree with you.” She brushes some hair out of my eyes. “Don’t you see? I’ve been waiting for you to accept us.”
“Fuck.” A kaleidoscope of vivid color nearly blinds me. I wobble a bit from the impact.
Sutton grips my shoulder. Her brows knit together. “Should you be up and moving around?”
“I’m fine.” A loose laugh tumbles out of me. “Shit, I’m fucking grand.”
She leans in to study my expression. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Even if I wasn’t, this is more important.” I steer us onto the worn trail that leads to our spot.
“And if you collapse?”
That has my feet stumbling to a halt. I lower my forehead onto hers, sparks flickering off our heated skin. “Always looking out for me.”
She presses closer. “I’m upping my game after yesterday.”
I loop my injured arm around her middle, hauling her hips into mine. There’s no hiding my need for her. “Knowing you care does some crazy shit to me. It’s difficult to keep myself in check.”
Her gasp has my blood pumping south at a rapid rate. “What if I want you to lose control?”
“Sutton,” I growl against her cheek. “You don’t know what that means.”
She drags her nails down my ribs, ending at the waistband of my jeans. “I’m ready to find out.”
“I damn sure hope so.” The threads of my restraint are beginning to fray. “But not tonight.”
Her gaze searches mine. “What? You want to wait?”
“That’s not why I brought you out here.”
She slips her hand into my back pocket. “What’s the reason?”
To look at the stars.
To find the good.
To be free.
To live happy.
But she’s everything I’m not. Offering her one last chance to leave burns up my throat. “You can do better than me, Sutt.”
She shakes her head. “I already told you to stop. There’s no such thing.”
I rub my thumb across her lower lip. “Okay, I’m done fighting.”
“About damn time,” she whispers.
“I’m gonna make you proud of me. Proud to claim me as yours.”
