Page 96 of Playing With Love

“Then I met you and I learned what love truly was and through that I learned to trust myself. I knew down to my soul I would never do to you what my father did to my mother. I knew I loved you the right way when instead of giving into my selfish needs, I put you first. I won’t lie and tell you part of my decision not to take us out of our friendship and into something different didn’t also have to do with me not being ready to give up a life I’d put a lot of work into living.”

Tucker’s hands on my thighs tightened. I got it. He wanted me to read between the lines.

He hadn’t been ready to give up undercover work.

“I get it,” I told him.

“But I loved you. First as a friend, and, baby, it took far too long to get to where I wanted us to be, but in a way I’m glad we took the long road. I’m glad we got that time behind us. I’m glad we laid the foundation, taking years to build it into something solid. Now all we need to do is keep going. Keep growing what we have. It’s all there, Lizzy.”

I put you first.

No one had ever put me first.

“It’s all there,” I repeated.

His hands slid up my thighs, curled around my hips, and that time when he anchored me to him, I didn’t mind.

“We love each other, baby.”

No one will ever love you if you don’t stop…

I shook my head dislodging my father’s cruelty.

Mine.

It’s not going to be okay, it’s going to be everything you need.

We’re going to build a beautiful life, baby.

“We love each other,” I tested the words.

“Come closer, baby.”

I leaned forward and rested my forearms on his t-shirt-covered chest.

“Wish we were home and you were naked so I could slide inside you.”

Well, so what if the room was bugged—Tate or Mackenzie was going to hear Tucker’s sexy words that had me squirming on his lap.

“Tucker,” I whispered.

“You love me?”

“Yes.”

“Come closer, Lizzy.”

There wasn’t much farther to go but I closed the last bit of space, leaving only a hair’s breadth between our lips.

“You know I love you?”

My heart decided now was a good time to start pounding out of control.

“Yes.”

“One day you’re gonna say those words to me,” he muttered against my lips.

Before I could tell him I was ready to say them now, his lips hit mine. The kiss was nothing more than a glide of our tongues. A slow, sexy dance that didn’t last long. He pulled back, brushed his mouth over my cheek to my ear, and he risked blowing our cover to whisper, “Shh, not yet, baby. I’ve waited ten years to have you again. Ten very long fucking years. The next time I slide inside you it’ll be with those words rolling off your tongue. It’ll be us coming together in every way we can. We have one first time doing that, and it’s not going to be in Allyson’s guest room. It’s gonna be in our bed when I can take my time showing you just how special the gift of you is.”