I kiss her harder this time and make sure she gets my message loud and clear.
She responds immediately. Her hands slide up my back and to the back of my head, pulling me closer.
I need her to understand. Need her to feel how much I love her. How much she means to me.
I walk her backward until she hits the wall. My hands slide under her shirt, finding warm skin.
"Declan," she breathes against my mouth.
"I need you." My voice is rough. Desperate. "I need you to know you belong with me."
"I know. I get it.”
"Do you? Because it sounds like you're considering leaving."
"I'm not…I wouldn't—" She gasps as my hand finds her breast. "I just wanted to be honest about what he offered."
"And I want to be honest about what I'm offering." I kiss down her neck. "My life. My future. Everything I have. That's what I'm offering you."
She moans softly.
I pull her shirt over her head. "Only you."
She helps me strip off my shirt. Then we're kissing again, frantically, as if we can somehow prove through touch what words can't convey.
I pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist.
"Bedroom," she manages.
"Too far."
I carry her to the couch and lay her on the cushions. I quickly take off her jeans and underwear, needing to feel her, needing to be close.
The guys are all out. They’ll be gone for a while. We have the house to ourselves, and I plan on taking full advantage.
"You're not leaving me," I say as I position myself over her. "You're not taking his money. You're not letting him win."
"I don't want to leave you."
"Then don't." I slide my hand between her thighs, finding her already wet. "Stay. Choose me. Choose us."
"I am choosing you." She arches into my touch. "I just…I needed you to know what he offered. What he said."
"I know now." I push two fingers inside her, and she moans. "Screw everyone who thinks you're not good enough for me. You are mine, Sutton. Do you hear me?"
"Yes!”
"You're too good for me. You're brilliant and strong, and you actually care about people. You don't play games. You don't manipulate situations. You're real."
"I love you, too." Her hands grip my shoulders. "I love you so much."
I move over her and push inside her, both of us groaning from the sensation.
"This is where you belong," I say against her ear. "Right here. With me."
"Yes." She wraps her legs around me tighter. "Yes."
I set a rhythm that's almost frantic. Like if I can just get deep enough, close enough, I can make her understand. Make her believe.
