Page 96 of Tangled in Vows

Out of reflex, I cross my arms over my chest.

“Don’t hide from me.” The demanding words slip out of his mouth. “Please.”

I exhale shakily and nod because what else am I supposed to do?

“You never have to hide from me, Hurricane. Ever.”

The urge to lean into him is almost impossible to resist, but I’m suddenly aware of every inch of my skin. My mind catalogs every part of me, every imperfection. The parts of me that are too soft or too much. Not enough. Too jiggly. Too dimply. What if he notices it all and can’t see past it?

The thought urges me to do something. To hide. To run.

He just said not to hide.

With some effort, I ignore the fear and give my insecurities a voice. “What if you don’t like what you see?”

Every instinct yells at me to take back the words. To draw up my walls. To shut him back out.

But I force myself to stay still. To stay open. To take a page out of his book and allow myself to be left naked in a way I haven’t allowed myself to be in a long time.

My heart hammers violently, but the world hasn’t shattered. I’m still here. Holden’s still here.

He steps toward me, his hands twitching at his sides until he balls them into fists. “There willneverbe a part of you I don’t like. You’re exactly the way you’re supposed to be. Real. You. Beautiful inside and out. Perfect. There isn’t a single thing I’d change about you.”

My eyelashes flutter as I blink at him, leftover raindrops trailing down my cheeks and nose.

Every word he utters crashes into me with the strength of a wave, destroying any remaining barrier between us. This manseesme. Not just the version of myself I show the world, but the real me. He’s the only one who ever has, and I’m tired of denying myself the connection that’s always been between us.

His words replay on a loop in my mind, each carving itself into the deepest parts of me, as if they were etching into my soul, branding me as his—a permanent mark that is both inescapable and undeniable.

God, how I want to be his.

You deserve someone to want you exactly the way you are.

With this newfound warmth under my skin, I push the words past my lips I know will change everything. “Then show me.”

Chapter 30

Olivia

Who am I telling that my big dream is finally coming true?

For a second, I’m worried he didn’t understand what I was asking for, or worse, he’d deny me.

But that doubt dissolves the second he pulls me closer by the neck and smashes his lips to mine.

The kiss unravels inside me—a wildfire, a burn that only intensifies the longer it rages. It starts low in my stomach and spreads outward until I’m lightheaded, spiraling into the kind of warmth I never want to escape from.

It’s so much more than just a kiss. The way his hands mold around my face like he’s afraid I might disappear if he doesn’t hold on to me. The way his tongue takes possession of mine, on the precipice of dying if it can’t have all of me right now.

But I shouldn’t be surprised because this is Holden, the man who never does anything half-hearted. He’s either all in or not doing it at all. And my body sings for him, needing to eradicate any distance between us.

My hands fist in his wet shirt, wanting it off so I can feel his skin.

Holden draws back. “Fuck, baby. One sec.”

This is not the first timebabyhas slipped out, and as before, the reverberating ache between my thighs intensifies.

Holden yanks the shirt over his head and tosses it aside, and I watch in rapt fascination. This man’s body is a work of art. It’s not unmarred, lined with scars from fights and other causes, but it only adds to his male beauty.

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