I nod again, words gone.
His hand lifts to my face, thumb brushing my cheek, his jaw tightening slightly as a shift moves behind his eyes.
“Good,” he says quietly. “’Cause, Tinker… I’m in love with you.”
Everything stops.
He doesn’t pull away. His forehead stays against mine, his breath mixing with mine as if he needs to stay right here to say it.
“I didn’t think I was capable of love,” he whispers, his voice softer now, stripped down. “Then you happened… and all the noise in my head just quieted.”
Something inside me breaks open.
“I love you too,” I whisper, the words trembling as they leave me. “And I never thought I was ever going to be able to love anyone…”
His mouth finds mine before I can say more, like he doesn’t want distance, like he doesn’t need anything else but this.
My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as the kiss deepens, slow for a second, then not.
“I’ve never known happiness like this,” he murmurs against my mouth, his voice rough again, slipping at the edges. “I don’t ever want to live without this… without you.”
“Then don’t,” I breathe.
That’s all it takes.
“Dex…” My lips brush his. “Make me yours.”
A low sound leaves him, and this time there’s nothing restrained in the way he kisses me. It’s deeper, rougher, everything he’s been holding back finally let loose.
We fall onto the bed together, his body over mine, heat and weight and breath all at once, hands everywhere, searching, urgent, as if we’re trying to make up for lost time.
His mouth moves down my neck, slower, but his breathing isn’t steady anymore.
He’s losing control.
He lifts the hem of my top, then stops, his eyes snapping back to mine, forcing himself to check.
“This okay?” he whispers, tension in every word.
“Don’t stop,” I breathe.
That’s all he needs.
Clothes disappear between kisses and unsteady hands, skin meeting skin, heat everywhere, his body hovering as if he’s trying not to overwhelm me, but I pull him closer because it’s not enough.
It’ll never be enough.
I need more.
My fingers trace the tattoos across his chest, memorizing every line.
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper.
His jaw tightens, a darker edge flickering in his eyes as they move over me. “You’re a masterpiece,” he murmurs.
His hand moves lower, then stills.
His eyes lift to mine again.
