"Everything about you is special," I tell her, tilting her chin up so she can't look away. "Everything. And I'm going to spend every day reminding you of that."
Tears fill her eyes. Not sad ones. The kind that come when someone's overwhelmed by emotion.
"There's going to be talk," she whispers. "In a town this small..."
"Let them talk." My hand slides to her waist, pulling her closer. "Nothing they say matters. Only thing that matters is us."
She studies my face, searching for something. "You really mean that, don't you? You really want…forever. With me."
"Forever isn't long enough." My control slips as I pull her fully against me, letting her feel exactly what she does to me. "Want to keep you. Breed you. Fill you with my babies so everyone knows you're mine."
Her breath catches, her body softening against mine. "Butch..."
"Tell me you want it too," I demand, voice dropping lower. "Tell me you’ll be mine in every way possible."
Her answer is to press her lips to mine, her kiss inexperienced but eager. I groan into her mouth, my hand sliding down to grip her ass, pulling her tighter against my hardening cock.
"That's it," I murmur against her lips. "Give in to it. To us."
She pulls back slightly, eyes serious despite her flushed cheeks. "I want everything with you. But I'm scared."
"Of me?" The thought cuts deep.
"No." She shakes her head firmly. "Of how much I want you. Of how fast this is happening. Of feeling things I've only read about in books."
I could lie. Could tell her it's normal to feel this way, that what's between us isn't the kind of once-in-a-lifetime lightning strike I know it is. But I won't lie to her. Not ever.
"It's not normal," I admit. "What happened between us. It's rare. Special. Fucking miracle, if you ask me. That someone like you could want someone like me."
Her brow furrows. "Someone like you?"
"Look at me, Julia." I gesture to my scarred face, my tattooed arms. "I'm old. Rough. Been places, done things you can't imagine. Got more red in my ledger than black."
"I don't care about any of that." Her small hand reaches up to trace the scar near my eyebrow. "I care about how you look at me. How you make me feel. How you protected me without hesitation."
Christ. What did I do in my miserable life to deserve this woman?
"Going to spend the rest of my life being worthy of you," I vow, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. "Being the man you deserve. The one who keeps you safe, keeps you satisfied, keeps you mine."
Her eyes darken at my words, her body shifting restlessly against mine. "I like when you say that. That I'm yours."
"Because you are." My control slips further, my hand sliding under her skirt to find bare thigh. So soft. So perfect. "Mine to guard. Mine to please. Mine to breed."
She gasps as my fingers inch higher, finding the edge of her panties. "Yours," she agrees breathlessly.
The word snaps the last thread of my restraint. I capture her mouth in a kiss, my fingers pressing against the damp fabric between her legs. She's wet for me. Ready for me. Perfect for me.
"First thing when we get out of here," I growl against her lips, "ring shopping. Then home with me. Going to build you a fortress where nothing bad can ever touch you."
She trembles beneath my touch, her innocence and desire a combination that drives me wild. "I don't need a fortress. Just you."
"You've got me. Every scarred, fucked-up inch of me." My fingers push her panties aside, finding her slick heat. "And I'm going to prove it. Prove I can be what you need. What you deserve."
Her hips buck against my hand, her eyes wide with shock and pleasure. "Butch!"
"That's it, angel." I circle her clit with my thumb, watching her face as she experiences sensations she's never felt before. "Let go for me. For daddy. Show me how good I make you feel."
Outside, the storm continues to recede, light breaking through the clouds. But inside this small office, a different kind of storm is building—one made of need and promise and possession. One that will bind us together long after the rain stops and the world intrudes again.
