My breath catches, and everything inside of me stills. This is big. “That's a start,” I whisper.
He closes the distance between us with a grumble, backing me against the counter. His hands grip the edge on either side of me, caging me in without touching.
“I'm trying to be good here.”
My breathing speeds. “You're definitely good at making me crazy about you.”
His eyes drop to my mouth. “Welcome to my world, sweetheart, but we shouldn't rush into this.”
“What?” I laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. I'm not.”
We're inches apart, and I'm dying for him to touch me. To do anything. “Are you saying that you're going to get this close and not even kiss me.”
He licks at the corner of his lip. “It's killing me, baby girl. But I will not scare you, and if I let go of myself right now, that's something that could happen.”
I close my eyes, inhaling shakily. “I'm not scared of you, Spencer.”
He leans closer. The first touch of his mouth against my neck makes me inhale sharply. “That's good. I'm relieved, but I'm afraid of myself right now.”
Using the edge of his teeth on my neck, he moves toward my ear, breathing roughly against my skin. His arms, where they are caging me in, are shaking with restraint.
He whispers hotly against my ear. “I want to devour you, Liberty.”
CHAPTER 12
“I need you to devour me,” she says hotly, “show me what it's like to be your weakness.”
Breathe. Do not move.
Liberty is in my arms, trembling, and it takes every ounce of restraint not to lift her onto this counter and take us somewhere that changes the game forever.
Instead, I slide my hand into her hair, those soft strands wrapping around my fingers like silk. I tip her head back gently, needing to see her eyes, needing her to understand what I'm about to say.
“I need you to hear me, Liberty.”
Her pupils are blown wide, her lips parted. “I'm listening.”
“I don't play games. I'm not some kid looking for a holiday hookup.”
“I know,” she whispers.
My thumb traces her jawline, and I feel her pulse hammering beneath my touch. “If we do this—if I touch you the way I'm dying to—it means something. Not just a weekend thing because we're snowed in and bored.”
Her breath hitches. “What does it mean?”
“It means you're mine from that moment on. We are together forever if that's what we both want. I don't share. I don't do casual. I'm too old and too fucked up for anything that isn't real.”
“You're sure about this?”
“I'm dead serious, sweetheart. You need to know what you're getting into with me.”
She searches my face as my other hand cups her face, holding her gaze. “I've been alone because I couldn't stand the thought of losing someone again. But you make me want to take that risk.”
Her eyes shine with something that looks like hope. “I want to take the risk too.”
I lean down, pressing my temple to her temple, breathing her in. “You sure about this? Once I start, I'm not stopping. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not next week. You're it for me.”
