Emotion fluttered all over her stunning face. Strikes of life. A never-ending flame. “I feel that way, too.”
She paused, hesitated, then her cheeks pinked with that coyness. She turned our hands so she could brush her fingertips over the tattoo she kept touching that covered my heart.
The one I’d gotten to remind myself how easy it was for your meaning to get twisted.
A smile tweaked up at the corner of her lush, sexy mouth as everything about her went playful. “So does this mean I’m your old lady now?”
I choked over a surprised laugh, and my pulse stampeded at the thought.
A slug of possession through my veins.
I snaked my arm around her slight waist and plastered her against me.
She smelled like apple pie and sex.
Suffice it to say it was more than appealing.
I burrowed my face in her neck so I could take a big drink, mouth a rumble at the sweat-tinged flesh. “Have every intention of putting a property patch on your back.”
She giggled, and I edged back so I could take in her expression.
She pushed up onto an elbow and arched a defiant brow. “Property patch?”
She was all challenge and sass. Feisty as hell. Just the way I liked her.
I sent her a smirk. “That’s right.” I gripped onto a handful of her hip and gave her a little jostle. “I told you that you’re mine now.”
“So that’s what that means, huh?” It was wry. No anger to it.
Light laughter filtered out of me. No chance she was into that kind of submission.
She’d been fighting me every step of the way, and I doubted that was going to change now.
I sobered as all the issues we were up against broke into our bubble, and I reached out and hooked my index finger under her chin.
Searching that hopeful face and wondering how the hell she trusted me with it.
“Nothing would make me happier than claiming you in front of everyone.”
A frown dented her strong brow, reading deeper into it, just like I knew she would. “But you can’t?”
My chest tightened, and I leaned up on my elbow so I could see her better. “Not yet, but I’ll find a way to. I’m breaking a thousand of my own rules by touching you. And not just the ones I made for myself that I have to go this life alone. The deal I made with your brother…”
I trailed off. Wanting to lay every single detail out for her on a silver platter.
But I couldn’t defy my crew that way. Not when what I was doing was already bad enough. Putting them in the position that I was.
Getting greedy.
“There’s a lot riding on this, Brinley…”
Everything.
“I have to make sure I don’t cause any distractions in the middle of it.”
Her frown cut with worry. “Is it…dangerous?”
God, what was I supposed to say?
