Back home, I was the one paying attention to everything, listening for the wrong sound, watching for the wrong car,waiting for something to go bad. No one stepped in. No one took it off my plate.
Until him.
“You did all that for me?”
“Yes.”
The tightness in my chest eases.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he says.
I frown.
“What?”
His hand slides up my back, settling at the nape of my neck, steady and sure. Walker, sensing that the conversation has shifted into one of a personal nature, has the decency to step out onto the porch.
“Whether those bikers show up looking for a fight, or if they have the common sense to never climb this mountain. It doesn’t matter because the outcome will always be the same.”
Carter leans closer to me, his proximity stealing my ability to speak.
“You’re staying,” he adds. “With me.”
My breath catches.
“Carter—”
“We’ll make it official,” he continues, like it’s already decided, and maybe it is. “You’ll be my wife. No one gets near you without going through me first.”
My heart stutters hard enough that I feel it’s fluttering beat in my throat.
“You’re serious.”
His thumb shifts against my skin, gentle and smooth.
“I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
I swallow, searching his face.
“Is this just because of what’s happening?”
He lets out a quiet breath, something almost impatient in it.
“No,” he says. “I don’t need a reason like that.”
“Then why?”
His gaze drops to my mouth for a second before he looks back up.
“I want to.”
I don’t think about it. My hands come up, grabbing his shirt and pulling his lips to mine. He kisses me back without hesitation.
This time there’s nothing careful about it. His mouth moves against mine with purpose, his hands firm at my neck and waist as he pulls me closer. I press into him just as hard, my fingers tightening in his shirt as I match his desperation.
His hands slide into my hair, guiding me where he wants me. My breath catches when the kiss deepens, and I feel the shift in him immediately, the way his grip tightens, the way his body presses closer.
Everything else fades out as he kisses me, the fear from earlier losing it’s grip until I’m not thinking about leaving or what comes next, just the way his hands hold me steady and the heat of his mouth on mine. When he pulls back, I follow without thinking for a moment and I wonder if it’ll always be like this. Hot, greedy, and always wanting just one more kiss.
