“Mark—”
He stepped forward again, and I lost my train of thought, watching his muscles flex beneath his clothes and his jaw move back and forth.
I sucked in a breath listening to his words, not realizing he had moved closer. I longed to close the distance and wrap my legs around his waist, thrusting my tongue in his mouth to forget about our fight, but we’d always had crazy naked chemistry.
That wasn’t going to fix this cluster-fuck. Talking would if it was fixable. And I wanted it to be fixable so damn bad. I wanted the hurt to go away. I wanted him to claim the part of my heart that belonged to him and make me whole.
I let myself take one step closer, one step toward him, and the tension ricocheted through the roof as I met his eyes.
“Don’t you think I don’t question myself, my quirks, my personality, wishing I could be different some days?” His voice echoed through my body. “Everyone does. It’s what makes us human. It’s also admitting we have faults and admitting we need help. It’s admitting that some people are better together than apart and not walking away.”
I took a deep breath and shook my hands out. My body felt like it was asleep. That awful pins-and-needles feeling had crept up my arms and legs, making my whole body shiver.
“Why are you here, Mark?” It was a stupid question to ask, but I had to say something to keep my brain from spitting out random useless facts.
I took one more step forward, but he put both hands up, shaking his head. I was close enough to see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, thinking of his next words. He was nothing if not meticulous. When he spoke, it wasn’t to fill the silence or hear his own voice. It was because he had something to say. And the emotions I saw flickering across his face said he had a big something to say.
“I remember you said I calmed your mind. Well, you calm my soul. I never thought I needed anything, but I need you. You give me peace, and you give me love. You give me happiness when I didn’t know I was missing it, and the stupidest thing I’ve ever done is walk out your door.”
He looked down and dug a palm in his eye, and my feet moved before I knew what I was doing, reaching out to grab his hand. He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, blowing it out so hard I heard it in the empty building.
“Jenna, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’d fallen for you too, and I’m sorry I didn’t fucking ask you if you wanted to be mine. I love you.”
The tingling feeling had moved up my arms and to my face, where my eyes were getting glassy. All the useless facts that filled my head minutes ago were gone, just like the empty ache I’d carried with me these last weeks. It was replaced with something new, bright, and beautiful. It was replaced with hope.
His other hand swept up and gently brushed my hair behind my ear. “You get me, Mark, and the thought of you walking away and giving up because of a choice you made when you joined the force almost broke me, but I didn’t want to let go.”
That’s why I was here, in front of him, grasping his hand like it was my lifeline.
I didn’t want to give up on someone who was a part of me, someone I’d given a part of myself to—I didn’t want to walk away from this man.
Mark closed the distance between us, so our bodies were nestled together, and my heart got caught in my throat as his hand skimmed down my cheek and tilted my head up, his hand falling to my jaw, holding me firmly in place as his mouth moved closer to mine, like he was asking for permission.
I licked my lips and tilted one side of my mouth up, removing my hand from his to put it in his back pocket.
“Jenna, baby. I choose you. It’s always been you. I was just too stupid to realize it.”
“I chose you a long time ago, Officer Handsome,” I said, bringing our joined hands to my lips and kissing his palm. “And I love you too.”
One corner of his full pillow lips ticked up, even though his eyes had purple smudges underneath. He licked his lips and took another deep breath before meeting my gaze and nodding his head. “I don’t want to hurt you ever again. I want to wake up next to you and fall asleep with you in my arms. I’m a greedy bastard, baby. I want both, you and my job. I want it all.”
His mouth relentlessly crashed into mine, sucking all the breath from my lungs and the oxygen from the room.
Claiming me.
Branding me.
Marking me as his.
One hand fell from my face, and I felt his long, calloused fingers run over through my hair, tilting my head exactly where he needed it. He groaned into my mouth as my tongue danced with his, demanding more with another swipe of my tongue over his lips.
“I need you.” He broke the kiss to lick down my neck and pull my T-shirt to the side to suck on the tendon where my neck met my shoulder.
“I need you more.” I yanked his hair so I could claim his lips all over again, but he pulled away and muttered something unintelligible before striding to the door to make sure the lock was secure. I could only describe the look in his eyes when he turned back around as raw animalistic lust. He stepped forward, confident and steady, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder as if I weighed next to nothing.
I was panting, staring upside down at the delicious globes of his ass in those jeans as he walked to my office, setting me down and pulling off my shirt in one smooth motion.
“Jeans,” he growled, taking a step back to watch as I kicked off my sneakers and peeled off my jeans and panties, leaving me in nothing but a front zip sports bra. He crowded my space, stepping closer until my back hit the hardwood of my desk. Lifting me up, he sat me down and reached between us to unzip my bra, sucking in a breath as my breasts spilled out of the thin material.
