Are we together? Is this casual? Maybe just a one-off jealousy-driven lapse in judgment?
I know whatIwant, but confessing that I’m falling in love with her faster than I thought a man could fall might make her bolt. It’s too fucking soon to tell her I’ll lay every star at her feet if she asks. That I’ll worship the ground she walks on. That I’ll fucking beg on my knees for her.
She’s only been under my roof for three weeks for God’s sake.
Five since I first saw her.
Unhealthy doesn’t scratch the surface of my growing obsession.
There’s a part of me the size of...methat already considers Leilani mine... butmineis a dangerous word in her ears. I can’t stake my claim that way. I can’t act so fucking entitled without triggering her worst memories.
I guess I’ll have to let her lead.
She exhales a long breath against my chest, curling into me further. The bites from her nails in my shoulders sting, her scent curls around us, and her taste lingers on my tongue.
She trembles softly, subtle quakes that tell me her body hasn’t come down yet, that her nerves are still firing wild. I want to keep her in this limbo forever, where she’s weak against me and I’m the only thing holding her steady.
“You’re still shaking,” I whisper, fingers splayed across the small of her back. “Cold?”
“No, just tired... I should clean up.”
“Come on, then.” I turn away, getting out of bed with a smile that only grows wider when she whines in protest. “Showertime, hellcat.” I scoop her up, cradling her close, and she wraps her arms around my neck, her cheek brushing against my collarbone.
If she knew how badly I want to keep her here, to never set her down again, she’d knee me in the balls, crack my jaw, then storm out and never come back.
To be perfectly honest, I’m surprised she didn’t throw her fist the moment I moved to lift her.
I sit her on the bathroom vanity, and her legs dangle against me, warm thighs brushing my stomach.
“If you try washing my hair, I’ll kick your ass.” She glares at me through heavy eyelashes. “In fact, any part of me. Don’t wash me.”
That’s where the line is. Okay, good to know.
“Fine, I won’t.” I turn the water on, testing the temperature. “But...” I pull fresh towels out of the cabinet. “At some point, I want to try rewriting your memories because soaping you up and fucking you against the shower wall?” I glance at her, grinning. “That’s on my bucket list.”
Her lips curl into something between a smirk and a dare. “I will not be held accountable for any damage caused while rewiring my brain.”
Her legs shift open when I step closer and my cock answers before my brain can. Half-hard turns solid in a heartbeat, swelling and twitching with a pulse I can feel in my teeth. She drops her gaze there, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.
“You’re going to start something if you keep looking at me like that,” I warn, cupping her chin. “And you can scratch, bite, and hit me all you want while I work on your memories. If it helps you move past what happened, it’ll be worth it.”
Her hands rise, small palms pressing against my chest, fingers tracing the ink scrawled over my pecs. “You don’t have to fix me. I’ll get better with time.”
“That’s not what I’m trying to do. You don’t need fixing, hellcat. You’re not broken. I just want to take care of you. Worship you the way you deserve, but I can’t if you keep confusing me withhim.” I tap her hip, then sweep my thumb across her warm skin. “Shower, then bed. You’re sleeping with me tonight.”
“Just tonight?” she teases, stepping under the spray.
Thank fuck. For a heartbeat, I thought she’d hit me, but she looks pleased.
“Let me rephrase that. From now on, you sleep with me.”
She smiles, tilting her head back under the spray of water, little droplets streaming down her throat. “If you insist.”
I do.Firmly.
The love bites I left earlier bloom along her shoulder, dark against wet flesh, and the sight tightens my already straining cock. I reach for the body wash, lathering up, keeping my eyes trained on her as she mirrors me, hands sliding over her breasts, down her stomach, between her thighs.
Her lips part, a theatrical gasp slipping out.
