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"Code—"

"Say it again."

"What?"

"My name." His hands slid under my shirt. "I love hearing you say my name."

"Code." I threaded my fingers through his hair. "Bedroom. Please."

He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me the rest of the way up, kicking open the door to the master bedroom. The bed was already made—Alice's doing, no doubt—with crisp white sheets and a dark-blue comforter.

Code set me down gently, then stepped back. His eyes swept over me, dark with want but also something deeper. Something that made my chest tight.

"What?" I asked.

"Just looking at you." He moved closer, his hands framing my face. "In my house. In my bedroom. You're really here."

"I'm really here."

"Stay." His thumb traced my lower lip. "Not just tonight. Stay."

"I already told you I would."

"I mean permanently." His forehead touched mine. "Move in. Make this ours, not just mine."

My breath caught. "Code⁠—"

"You're it for me, Katherine. This place could never be a home without you."

“I live in LA.”

“That’s fine. We’ll split our time between Jasper Creek and LA.”

I closed my eyes, savoring his words. Then pulled him down into a kiss that said everything I couldn't put into words yet. He responded immediately, hands sliding into my hair, body pressing against mine.

We undressed each other slowly this time, not the frantic urgency of before, but deliberately. Enjoying every slow moment. His shirt hit the floor. My jeans followed. Each piece of clothing revealed more skin, more scars, more truth.

When we were finally bare, he lifted me onto the bed and followed me down, settling between my thighs. His weight pressed me into the mattress, solid and real and right.

"I love you," he said, voice rough. Every. Single. Time. He said those words, they sank deeper into my soul, making me feel even more cherished than I had the day before.

My throat closed. "I love you too."

He kissed me then, slow and deep, his hands everywhere, learning every curve and dip and secret place that made me gasp. I arched into him, needing more, needing everything.

"Please," I whispered.

When he finally pushed inside me, we both groaned. He stilled, letting me adjust, his eyes locked on mine.

"Okay?" he asked.

"More than okay." I wrapped my legs around his hips. "Move."

He did. Slow at first, each thrust deliberate, watching my face, as if he were learning all over again what made my breath hitch and my nails dig into his shoulders. Then faster as I urged him on, deeper, until we were both gasping, chasing that edge together.

"Katherine," he groaned against my neck. "God, Katherine⁠—"

"I'm close." My words came out broken. "Code, I'm⁠—"