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I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. “Not at all. Hudson might be the king asshole, but the rest are all pussy cats.”

She looks up at me, her blue eyes shining. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“I’ll arrange a trip down to Texas for us.” I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in. I kiss her, long and slow, then pull away just enough to meet her eyes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I can’t wait to get her alone—there’s a diamond ring burning a hole in my pocket, but I need to wait for the right moment.

The rest of the evening crawls at a snail’s pace. I keep glancing at the clock every two minutes, willing time to go faster. It moves so slowly that I’m convinced the universe is fucking with me.

Reine’s right there beside me, helping Grams finish up dinner, and all I can do is stare at her like a lovesick idiot. My chest is tight. The diamond ring in my pocket gets heavier with every second that ticks by.

I want to do this right. I want to make her mine. Forever. I want the whole world to know she belongs to me.

Once the longest dinner I’ve ever endured is over, we clean the kitchen while Grams heads off to the living room to watch her nightly shows.

The second we’re alone in the kitchen, all bets are off. I crowd Reine back against the counter, pinning her with my hips, my hands braced on either side of her body. She gasps, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, and I can’t help grinning like a motherfucker. God, she’s gorgeous. The way she looks at me drives me absolutely insane.

“You have any idea what you do to me, Montana?” My voice is rough with pure need while my cock grows painfully hard. Her lips part, but she doesn’t answer, just stares at me.

I lean in and press my mouth to hers, slow at first, just savoring the taste of her. She moans, soft and sweet, and my control shreds to nothing. I kiss her deeper, my tongue sliding into her mouth, claiming her. Fuck, I could drown in the taste of her. There’s nothing in the world as addictive as the way Reine melts against me, her body pressed so tight I swear we’re fusing at the seams.

She gasps, her hands fisting in my shirt, and the sound drives every rational thought straight out of my fucking skull. I grind her against the counter, pinning her with my hips so she can feel just how hard she gets me. My cock is a steel rod in my jeans, and all I can think about is getting her naked and spread out for me, right the fuck now.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” I growl against her mouth, inhaling the little noises she makes when I nibble her lower lip. She’s panting, cheeks bright pink, blue eyes wide and wild. All for me. Damn right.

I slide my hand up under her shirt, dragging my palm over her bare skin. I palm her ribcage and catch the edge of her bra, tugging it up so my thumb can graze the underside of her tit. Her breath hitches. That's all it takes for my restraint to snap like a dry twig in August heat.

She stares up at me, lips parted, eyes blown wide, her whole body trembling. Jesus. I want to tear her clothes off right here, lay her out on the kitchen counter, and make her scream my name, but I know now isn’t the right time. I pull back and lay my forehead against hers. “We’ll finish this as soon as Grams goes to bed,” I promise her.

She giggles, breathless, her hands tangled in my shirt like she needs the anchor. “I can’t wait.”

I let go, just enough to let her catch her breath, but I never break eye contact. Every time I look at her, I want her more than I want my next breath. Fuck.