Page 82 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

Revealed all those little secret cracks in my armor I’ve done such a good job of hiding for so long.

“That’s irrelevant.”

“It’s far from irrelevant to me, Dalton.”

The unwavering way she cares about me and worries, even if she has no reason to, is what ultimately draws me across the room to her, even when I should be giving her space.

I take her face between my palms. “You have no idea how much I appreciate your concern and the help you gave me earlier. I wouldn’t be up and walking around like this right now if it weren’t for what you did. But if I am in your bed, I am not going to be concentrating on protecting you from anything that might be happening outside. All I’m going to be thinking about is how it feels to have you beside me.”

She shudders against me, her eyes drifting closed as a little sigh slips from her lips so close to mine.

And God, I want to kiss her.

I want to know what she tastes like and feel the press of her lips to mine.

I want to swallow those little sighs she makes into my mouth and breathe her into my lungs and hold her there forever.

I want Camille like I’ve never wanted anything in my life before.

And I don’t want to fuck it up with her.

I don’t want to do anything that’ll send her running the way she did from my room earlier. If she shuts down and shuts me out, I won’t ever get us back to where we were when she wrapped her hand over mine and directed it between her legs.

I’ll never get to experience the pure bliss of seeing her come or the pride of knowing I did that for her.

It may have only happened once, but I’m already addicted to it.

But if I kiss her now, if I give in to this pull that draws me to her so powerfully, Iwillsend her fleeing from me.

She’s not ready.

She may never be.

Don’t blow it, Dalton.

I’ve probably already said too much, revealed far more about how I feel and what I want from her than I ever should have. But I want even more than what I admitted.

I want itall.

This woman.

This life with her and her children.

A family and a future on the mountain.

My cock aches between us, desperate to do whatever it takes to make that happen, but I pull away before she can feel the hard length pressed against her. “I’m sleeping on the couch, Camille. That’s final.”

Her eyes flutter open to meet mine, and she stares up at me from under thick, dark lashes.

The look in her warm blue eyes says she wants to argue her point further, but after everything that’s happened today, I watch the fight drain out of them and her.

She leans into my palm on her cheek for a split second before she slips from my hold and slowly turns and walks away down the short hallway toward her room across from Davey’s.

I follow after her.

Not because I have any intention of going in, but I need one last look at her before she goes to bed.

To know she’s really okay.

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