Page 175 of Burn the Wild

“You’re perfect for me.”

“I’m crazy.”

“You’re not, but I’m sane, so we’ll be okay.”

That haughty chin lifts. “I cost too much money.”

“Good thing I have it.”

“We fight too much.”

“And it makes me hard as hell,” I growl, causing her stunning green eyes to widen.

“Ford—”

I wrap my arms around her, lock my gaze with hers. “Run your mouth, woman, because it doesn’t matter. I love you. Nothing you do or say will change my mind. You’re it for me, Birdie. No more running. No more searching. It’s you.”

Reese stares.

I feel like I’m bleeding out, waiting for her response.

A shudder of a breath blasts out of me. “Christ, baby, would you say something?”

A stunning smile fills her face. “I love you, too.”

My breath hitches. “You do?”

“Yes. I do. I love you, Ford.”

Those three little words heal something deep inside me. Having someone to love like this only existed in my dreams. But not anymore. It’s Reese. Etched into my heart, my fucking soul.

“Reese.” My voice breaks. Hot tears cloud my vision.

She palms my face with warm hands. “You’ve been my angel, Ford Montgomery.”

I clear my throat from emotion. “You’ve been mine, Birdie Girl.”

I kiss her. Deep, heated. Our tongues wage a battle before we break away, breathless.

“I love you,” I tell her again. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Reese. And I won’t lose you now.”

“What does this mean?” she half-laughs, half-sobs.

“It means…” I grasp her neck, pulling her forward until our brows touch. “If you leave, I’ll never recover. Say the word and I go with you. If you want to sing, I’ll be in the front row every goddamn night.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“I would.”

She bats those big, beautiful eyes. “Sorry to say it, Country Boy, but I kinda like the ranch.”

Christ.

“Stay then. Stay with me.”

“Yes, yes,” she gasps. Cups my face and searches my eyes. “But what about your job?”

“I turned it down.”