“Can’t help it.” I brush hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You were magnificent back there.”
“I was terrified.”
“Didn’t show.” I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. “You told him off, fired him, and looked damn good doing it.”
Her laugh is bright and unguarded. I’m already addicted. “I wasn’t wearing pants. Pretty sure that undermined my professional credibility.”
“And I’m a hundred percent sure it established dominance.” I grin against her skin. “Power move. Very alpha.”
“Oh, I’m the alpha now?”
“Baby, you’ve always been the alpha.”
Her breath catches. I notice the hitch in her chest, the way her fingers still against my skin.
“Tank...”
“Sawyer.” I pull back enough to see her eyes. “When we’re like this, I want to hear my name.”
“Sawyer.” She says it softly, like a prayer. “I’m staying. For real.”
“I know.”
“No, I need you to understand that I’ve never stayed anywhere. I’ve never allowed myself to want something permanent because it always came with conditions.Be quieter. Be smaller. Be less.” Her voice cracks. “But you never asked me to be less. You just... made room for more.”
I reach for her, cupping her face in my hands. “Jessie. I’ve got nothing but room. This cabin, this mountain, this life has been waiting for you to fill it.”
“What if I fill it with chaos?”
“Then I’ll organize around it.”
She laughs, overwhelmed. “What if I rearrange your mugs again?”
“I’ll learn the new system.” I brush my thumbs across her cheekbones, catching her tears. “Jessie. I don’t want you to fit intomylife. I want to build a life that fitsus. Both of us. All the mess, chaos, and color.”
She surges forward and kisses me.
It’s not gentle. It’s hunger and relief, the release of every fear she’s been carrying. Her hands fist in my hair, pulling me closer. I go willingly.
Then she’s on me, her hands in my hair, her mouth on my jaw, her whole body pressing against mine as if she’s trying to climb inside my skin.
“Bedroom,” she gasps.
“Can’t wait that long.” I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist.
I set her on the kitchen counter where she rearranged my mugs and enjoyed breakfast, and step between her thighs.
“Here?” Her eyes widen in surprise and delight.
“Here.” I drag my mouth down her throat. “Then the bedroom. Then the shower. Then wherever else you want me.”
“That’s a lot of locations.”
I pull back to meet her gaze. “I love you. In case that wasn’t clear.”
“I love you too, Sawyer.”
I trail my mouth down her throat, feeling her pulse hammer against my lips. “I’ve loved you from the start. I love you even more now.” Reaching the hollow of her collarbone, I suck hard enough to leave a mark. “I love you most like this. Under me. Open.Mine.”
