Page 27 of Stuffed

"Good." I tighten my arms around her. "Because I'm not letting you go." She props herself up to look at me, suddenly serious, and I freeze. “At least for tonight,” I add with a smile, hoping it lessens the seriousness of the statement. I want more but I also know it’s the incredible sex I just had with her talking and I’m not a deliberate asshole. I don’t want to say something I don’t mean. I watch her expression and it falters briefly.

"Mmm." She sighs, settling back against me. "I like the sound of that."

Outside, snow begins to fall. But here in my bed, with Tessa warm in my arms, I've never felt less cold.

"Stay," I whisper into her hair.

She lifts her head, smiling that dangerous smile that started all this. "Careful, Mr. Mercer. Someone might think you're falling for me.”

I don’t say anything back. I want to. I want to say I fell for her a long time ago, but I don’t. She shifts against me, her breathing evening out as sleep starts to claim her. I trail my fingers along her spine, memorizing every inch of her skin like I'm afraid she'll disappear if I stop touching her.

"You're thinking too loud," she murmurs against my chest.

"Just wondering how long you've secretly been planning all this, young lady."

She lifts her head, those blue eyes still sparkling even in the dim light. "Your downfall again, you mean?” She smiles. “That's quite dramatic, Mr. Mercer."

"Is it?" I roll us so she's beneath me, loving how she fits perfectly under my body. "You show up after all these years, take over my thoughts, make me question everything I thought I knew about myself…"

"And that's a bad thing?" Her fingers trace patterns on my chest.

"It should be." I capture her hand, bringing it to my lips. "I don't do this, Tessa. I don't let people in. I don't let them see past the walls."

“Why not?”

I sigh. “You know why. The same old story everyone has. Boy meets a girl who breaks his heart and bam, he’s jaded and forever alone.”

“One girl and that’s it? You don’t believe in love or whatever anymore?”

I stare down at her, knowing it’s bullshit. “No, it was multiple but I was too stupid to realize that they were using me, so I let myself get hurt.”

"But you let me."

"You didn't exactly give me a choice." I kiss each of her fingertips. "You just… walked right through them like they weren't even there."

She smiles softly. "Maybe they weren't. Not for me."

The truth of her words hits me hard. Because she's right—those carefully constructed walls, the ones that keep everyone else at a safe distance, they've never worked on her. Even in high school, she saw past them. Saw me.

"Tell me what you're thinking," she whispers, reaching up to smooth the furrow between my brows.

"That I should be terrified right now." I lean down, brushing my lips against hers. "That this should feel dangerous."

"Doesn't it?"

"Yes and no." I kiss her again, deeper this time. "It feels… right. And that's what scares me most because there’s so much to lose."

She wraps herself around me, pulling me closer. "Then let it be right. Just for tonight."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we can figure it out." Her legs tighten around my waist. "But right now? I just want you."

Her words ignite something in me—something possessive, something primal. I capture her mouth in a searing kiss, pouring all my confusion, all my want, all my fear into it.

She responds eagerly, her nails dragging down my back as I move inside her again. This time it's slower, deeper. Like we'reboth trying to memorize every sensation, every touch, every breath.

"Look at me," I demand softly, and her eyes lock with mine. The trust I see there nearly undoes me. "You're beautiful like this."

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