She pushes a bite between her lips and then hastily shoves the container onto the nightstand, shaking her head. “Don’t laugh. You just let me eat over half of that.”
“I don’t let you do anything, hellcat. Don’t blame this on me.”
“Fine. But you could have stolen the fork or something before I ate enough to make myself sick,” she complains.
With a groan, she flops onto her back, rubbing her stomach. I turn onto my side and take over for her, making slow circles that pull content little sighs from her lips. “You’re happy.”
“Are you asking me, or telling me that?”
“Telling. You still can’t stop smiling, even now,” I say, keeping my voice low.
“Of course I’m happy. I spent today on a ride with you, then stuffing myself as full as the turkey Mom cooked. Now, I get to lay here with you.”
“I don’t just mean today or now. I mean, in general.”
Her features tighten while she rolls over to face me. I keep my hand on her stomach, brushing my thumb back and forth over the fabric of my shirt she’s wearing.
“I’ve been happy for a long time now, Rowe.”
“Good.”
“Good? That’s all you wanted to say about it? Come on, tell me what you’re thinking about.”
It’s so easy to give in to her. She can ask for anything, and I’d give it. Fight any battle or spend my life savings. I’m a strong-willed man who has always ever been weak for one woman. That hasn’t changed since I was a teenager, and it won’t regardless of how old we grow.
But this, what I’ve been wanting to ask her . . . it feels daunting. Not because I’m too scared to ask, but because I don’t know what I’ll do if she tells me no.
Suddenly, I’m on my back, and she’s hovering above me. Two soft, bare legs bracket my middle as she settles her weight onto my body and takes my face in her hands. My shirt hangs loose from her shoulder, leaving her bare from her neck down to her elbow. The sight of the fresh tattoo on her collarbone sends anelectric current straight to my cock. Each time I see it, I like it more than the last.
My bite mark has no fucking right looking so sexy. Yet there it is, black and permanent.
I pluck the fallen fabric and readjust it so it droops in the front instead. If I have to stare at my mark any longer, we’re going to be having this conversation with my dick inside of her.
She must feel it kick beneath her because she presses her ass against it and wiggles. I grind my teeth and grab her waist, stilling her. With a blink, she swallows and shimmies up my body until my cock is left cold in my briefs.
I watch her eyes drift down to the matching tattoo I had done in the same exact spot. Mine came first to make sure we knew where I could fit it amongst my other ink, and she was eager to agree on the placement.
“Talk to me, Rowe,” she murmurs, dusting her fingers over my cheekbones.
“Do you ever want to get married again? Or has that door shut for you?”
It comes out angrier than I intended it to. Still, she doesn’t pull away. As if I’d whispered the words gently, she plants her forearms against my chest and drapes herself over my body, blinking softly.
“That depends.”
“On?”
This time, she smirks at my tone.
“Unless I was marrying one very specific man, I wouldn’t be interested in going through that again.”
“Stop talking in circles. Tell me you’d marry me, Tilly.”
She lowers her head and rubs the tips of our noses together. “I would marry you. If you asked me to, I’d say yes. Is that what you’re doing right now?”
I glide my fingers up her sides and over her shoulders before threading them in her hair. It’s as soft as silk, the curls from earlier looser now that she’s brushed them. Her eyes are vibrant, so clear it’s like I can taste the bold, all-consuming love that’s flooding them. It’s honest, and fuck, it twists the heart in my chest that I feared was too fucked up to feel like this. It’s far past simple adoration.
What I feel for this woman is possession in its purest form. I don’t fear that it will disappear or run its course. It’s almost sick in its intensity, but the last thing I feel is fear. I’ve accepted that this is the only woman I will ever want, ever love, and it’s a relief.
