He doesn’t waste a second. His hands are on my face immediately, his thumbs warm against my cheeks, grounding me like he always does—like he alwayswill.
“Now you’re not blocking my airways,” he says softly, his eyes twinkling, “I love you, Jane Cutter. You’re my emotional chaos tornado trapped in a snow globe of crazy, and I fuckin’ adore you.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Snow globe of crazy? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Shake it gently, and everything’s magical. Shake it too hard, and someone loses a tooth.”
I laugh despite myself. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And yet”—he leans in with a possessive grin that sets my heart on fire—“you’re still mine.”
He states it steadily and sure, choosing me without hesitation. And that enormous, impossible feeling in my chest finally settles into something warm and permanent.
“And you’re mine,” I state with a certainty that echoes in my bones.
Tex’s eyes flash.
I bite my lip, and his gaze drops there, darkening further.
“Come inside.” His voice deepens. “Before I do something stupid on this porch.”
My pulse spikes. “Like what?”
His mouth curves into a slow, dangerous smile. “Like bend you over this railing and make you come until you forget your own name.”
Oh.
“I don’t want to forget my name.”
Tex steps closer, crowding me gently. “Then I’ll make you remember it in other ways.”
My entire body lights up.
God. This man.
He pulls me inside and shuts the door behind us with a soft click that pauses the world for a little while.
The cabin is warm, the fire still crackling. The air smells of pine and coffee and us.
Tex doesn’t rush me. He never rushes the parts of me that matter.
He leans his forehead against mine, breath warm. “Last chance.”
My mouth twitches. “You love asking that.”
“It’s not a game,” he says, voice low. “It’s respect.”
I swallow hard. “Tex?”
He holds my gaze. “Yeah.”
I step into my power. “I want you. All of you. Deep inside me. Hard and fast. Soft and slow.” I pause. “Because any way with you is perfect.”
Tex’s jaw tightens like he’s fighting himself. Something raw flashes across his face.
Then his hand slides to the back of my neck, anchoring us both. “I’m so fuckin’ proud of you.”
Then he kisses me. Hard. I make a soft, needy sound into his mouth, and his hand tightens at the back of my neck.
