Page 198 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

Then Lucian’s gaze drops to my mouth.

The air changes.

So does my body.

When he speaks, Lucian’s voice is roughened by emotion. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to deserve your love.”

Heat unfurls through me with astonishing speed, my skin suddenly too sensitive, every inch of me aware that the man I have missed for four endless nights is only a few feet away.

I remember his mouth.

His hands.

The rough edge his voice takes when his control finally breaks.

“May I come closer?”

This, maybe more than anything, shows me how much he’s trying.

I might die if he doesn’t. “Yes.”

Then he does, slowly, so slowly, as if he’s afraid I’ll change my mind.

By the time he stops, his familiar scent surrounds me, and I have to tip my head back to meet his eyes.

And then I lift my hand and place it against his chest.

Instantly he covers it. “May I kiss you?”

Since I can’t find my voice, I nod.

He does, so softly that pain blooms in the center of my chest.

Then I slide my hand up into his hair and pull him closer.

The sound that tears from him is raw.

He slides his arm around my waist as he deepens the kiss, moving his mouth over mine in a way that matches the terrible ache inside me.

I lean in, and he gives me everything I ask for.

When he finally lifts his head, we are both breathing hard.

His forehead settles against mine.

“I love you.”

The words undo me all over again.

I stay there for another second, breathing him in, before awareness prickles along my skin. Then Caleb comes in closer.

His expression is composed, but the hunger in his eyes is unmistakable.

Turning to him, I slide both hands beneath the edges of his jacket, settling them against the hard warmth of his chest.

For a second, neither of us moves.

Then he lowers his head slightly.