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She shrugged. “It was really just the same situation when you think about it. I didn’t much feel like hanging out with Bentley and Alyssa, so my bedroom was the only option and…”
“And there wasn’t much else to do there either, right?”
“Are you saying that I need to take it easier on you? Are you struggling to keep up? I would have thought that a big, tough Navy SEAL guy like you would have the stamina to keep up with someone like me – I’m only a small person.”
He laughed again. “You want to watch yourself, sprite, you’re playing with fire there. You should know that if you question a guy’s stamina, he’s going to try to prove himself to you.”
“Ooh! I like the sound of that!”
He laughed as he took the exit ramp off the highway. “Why do I get the impression that I just walked into your trap? Is that what you were doing all along – trying to goad me into stepping it up?”
“Why would you think such a thing?”
“Because I know you.” She loved the look in his eyes when he turned and winked at her. “I thought that I knew you pretty well before. Now, I’m getting to know you even better; I’m learning fast and falling even harder.”
All her breath caught in her chest. “Do you really mean that?”
He nodded solemnly. “I knew I had it bad before, but this last week?” He shot her a smile before turning his attention back to the road as he said, “You’ve got me. I’m a goner, sprite. I’m at your mercy.”
Her hand came up to cover her heart. It seemed kind of unbelievable that someone like him – no, not just someone like him but that he, Xander Jacobs, could feel that way about her. But as unbelievable as it seemed, she didn’t doubt his sincerity in the least.
“You know how you asked me to be gentle with you when I was done with you?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you should know what I meant when I said I wouldn’t do that – I meant I don’t ever want to be done with you.”
All her breath caught in her chest. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. I know I’m probably shooting myself in the foot laying that on you so quickly, but I can’t help it, Tori. I don’t want to scare you off, I just need you to know.”
She shook her head rapidly. “I’m not scared.”
“What then?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
“I’m … I…” She sucked in a deep breath before she continued. There was no point in trying to hide it from him. She might have thought that she needed to protect herself and her heart from him, but since he was laying it all on the line she wasn’t going to hang back. “I feel the same way.”
A big smile spread across his face as he grabbed for her hand. “You do?”
She laughed. “I do. I don’t think that means we need to rush things, but I’m not going to lie to you and I’m not going to try to hide it. I meant it when I said that I fell in love with you when I was five years old, Xander.”
He squeezed her hand so tight that he almost crushed her fingers. “I don’t want to say that I fell in love with you when you were five.” He chuckled. “I love that you said it, but it sounds different – creepier – coming from a guy.”
She laughed with him; he was right.
“I will tell you that you’ve always been in my heart, though.”
“Aww. I like that. I don’t think I’d believe you if you told me that you’d loved me all those years. And that’s a good thing,” she added hurriedly. “I’m not trying to be bitchy; I’m just being honest.”
“I don’t think you could be bitchy if you tried.”
“I don’t know, I’ve never really tried.”
“And that’s just one of the many things that I love about you – you don’t have it in you.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “That doesn’t make me weak, you know.”
“I sure as hell don’t think so – I think you’re stronger than any woman I know. You’re so self-contained. You don’t need anyone – that’s why it makes me feel special that you’re choosing me. You don’t need me, but you want me anyway.”
