Page 124 of Tangled Kisses
“How much did you get paid to say that?”
He smacks the brick, his eyes wild. “I walked away fromeverythingfor the chance to say that.” His chest heaves with emotion. “Don’t you see? The sun rises and fucking sets on you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew it was you. I’ve been waiting my whole damn life for you.”
Something in me fractures. My vision wavers, breath hitching, but Griffin’s face doesn’t soften, doesn’t hide. There’s no placating smile, no easy lie. Only desperation and truth, staring me down.
“You’re not lying to me,” I whisper, my whole body trembling.
“I’ve never lied to you.”
“So this isn’t some game. Some act of pity or charity?”
“It’s mylife. With you at the center.” His voice cracks, the emotion too big to be contained any longer. “And the night I made love to you? Meanteverything.”
My hands cover my mouth as the tears earn their due. “It meant everything to me, too.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me what Sabine said? Why did you shut me out?”
Sniffling, I fix my gaze on the concrete. “Because deep down, I believed her. That someone like you wouldn’t want someone like me.”
“Are you kidding? I’m the lucky one. You’re the first woman who’s ever looked at me—just Griffin, no mask, no job, no bullshit—and believed I was enough. Do you know how many nights I’ve torn myself apart wondering if I’d ever be good enough for you?”
“You’re perfect.”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m not. I’m never going to give you the life that your ex could. I will never be that guy. I drive an old truck and live in a tiny cabin. I work hard, and I stink at the end of the day. That is all I have to offer.”
And in that instant, I know exactly what I need from this life.
“You’re right. You’re not perfect, but you’re perfect forme.” My hand lifts on instinct, fingers tracing along his jaw, tangling briefly in the coarse brush of his beard. “You are everything I want.”
“You sure about that?”
“Why do you think I was so broken-hearted, Griffin? You were my dream come true, and then I found out it was a lie.”
“It was never a lie. Not one second. Definitely not that night with you. God almighty, don’t you see how I look at you? I fucking worship you, Reese.”
For a moment, his chest heaves like he’s run a marathon, eyes burning with truth but rimmed in exhaustion. The fight, the confession—it’s all cost him.
And now it’s my turn. “Please don’t stop. Not when all I want is to give it back to you.”
Something raw flashes in his gaze, like my words hit bone deep.
I rise onto my toes, tilting my face toward his, desperate for his touch.
But his hand slides up, cupping my cheek, stopping me inches away. His voice is ragged, low and dangerous, like it’s dragged from the pit of him. “Don’t kiss me unless you’re ready to give me everything. I can’t do this halfway anymore—I want it all. Every breath. Every heartbeat. Every night in my bed. So don’t you dare kiss me unless you’re going to let me love you every day.”
My chest clenches.
His line in the sand. His unwavering demand.
And one I’ll concede gladly.
I press the lightest kiss to his lips, testing.
He pulls back slightly. “I told you what was going to happen if you kissed me again.”
Tears and laughter tangle in my throat as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him close. My lips hover over his, my whisper hot against his mouth. “I’ll take my chances, cowboy, because I want you every damn day, too.”
His mouth crushes against mine in a feverish kiss, his hands sliding under my skirt until his fingers fist in the lace at my hips, tugging like he might tear it from me. The solid press of him—hard, unyielding—grinds against my center, and I gasp against his lips.
