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Tears fill her gaze. “I make you happy?”
I gather her closer. “Yeah, Tennessee. Everything about you makes me happy.”
“No one has ever said that to me.”
“Because you’re mine,” I whisper, brushing her hair over her shoulders and cupping her face. My thumb plays along her jaw, and her eyes stay locked with mine as I give her a second to process what I just said. When a minute passes, self-doubt creeps in, and I say, “I understand if you—”
“I do love you, Dart. I do,” she says, and I almost cry out in relief. “I think I always have. I just didn’t want to admit it because if I did, then the pain of ghosting you would have killed me.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in, and then presses her lips to mine, kissing me deeply. It almost feels too good to be true, but then I take ahold of that ass of hers, and I know it’s real.
That we’re real.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tennessee
Oh Lord, Fate, Jesus, whoever the hell is listening, why did I fight my feelings for this man? Why did I torture us both? Why didn’t I throw all caution to the wind and just love him how I wanted to?
Because of apprehension.
The distance.
How he makes it so that I can’t think clearly.
The way I know I am purely his.
I’ve never dated anyone like him. Never felt this soul-deep burn for someone until him. I’ve always picked the easy choice, the stable guy, the one who would constantly be there, but now I’ve fallen in love with someone who travels, who is currently under contract here in South Carolina but could be traded at any time. What does that mean for my career? The one thing I worked so hard for. I left my parents for myself, but I know I’ll leave behind everything for him.
And the truth of that makes me breathless.
Our lips crash together, and the terror that strangled me eases as my lips devour his. I know I’m safe, I know he has me, but the way he kisses me doesn’t feel the least bit safe. I can’t get enough of him. The feel of his lips, the ripples of muscles on his chest, his abs, the dips that disappear below his low-hanging shorts. I run my fingers down the length of his back, the bumps along his spine, and over his ribs before I shove my hands into the back of his shorts, cupping that hard ass of his. He rocks his hips into mine, and our kisses become even more desperate. He sucks my tongue into his mouth, taking over the kiss and driving me wild.
He pulls his lips away to pick me up, my ass coming down on the counter before he runs his tongue up my neck, over my jaw, and then recaptures my mouth in one swift motion that has me gripping the edge of the counter for dear life. His hips dig into my thighs as he gathers my shirt in his hands, fisting it before pulling it up and over my body as I sit butt-ass naked in front of him. He licks his lips as he looks me over, and his gaze is demanding as he worships me.
“I love you, Tennessee,” he murmurs before his fingers wrap around my throat, and everything inside me is set on fire.
“Have you loved anyone else?” I find myself asking, trying to ask questions so that my love for him makes sense.
His eyes flash with something dark. “I have,” he says, squeezing my neck as he drags his lips along my nose. “Twice.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Once when I was fifteen, and again when I was in college.”
I stroke my fingers along his back slowly, just needing to touch him. “What happened?”
“Amy Yates was my first love. We were young, and it ended because I couldn’t keep it in my pants,” he admits, brushing his lips over my cheek. “Marley Phillips and I dated our freshman through junior year, and when my grandpa died, she slept with my roommate because I was so fucked up.”
My breath catches. “What a bitch.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, biting my bottom lip. “But it’s okay because with them, I never felt how you make me feel.”
My lips part as I slide my hands up and along the nape of his neck.
“How about you? Who have you loved?”
His eyes meet mine as his lips hover over my mouth, and tears burn in my eyes. I swallow and whisper, “I didn’t really know what love was until you came toe-to-toe with me in the practice lounge.” His jaw goes taut, and his lips press tightly together as his gaze scorches mine. “I dated someone for ten years on and off, and many between him. But this, us… This intensity, D’Artagnan… I know I have never loved before.” His other hand comes up, cupping my jaw as he runs his thumb along my bottom lip, and I laugh at the pure insanity of my words. I wipe my face free of the tears that are falling against my wishes and meet his gaze once more. “That’s crazy, right?”
