Page 79 of Tangled Kisses
And now it’s taking everything in me to resist that primal urge to claim her and mark her as forever mine.
“This one is pretty,” Reese says from behind the curtain.
That’s a lie.
Because when the curtain parts again, she’s dolled up in a pale blue number. It’s soft and delicate, skimming over her pale skin like a whisper.
It’s perfect.
She looks almost untouchable, a vision out of a fever dream.
My chest tightens, because I don’t just see her in lingerie. I envision her on our wedding night, climbing into bed beside me as Mrs. Topete. Hell, I never let myself imagine that with anyone. Not once. Until now.
“I like this one,” she whispers, running her hand along the silk. “This one feels right.”
The truth?Shefeels right. Every curve, every glance, every shaky laugh—she’s everything I used to dream of before I sold myself off piece by piece. Back when I still believed in a love that would swallow me whole.
I step to her, lifting both hands to cradle her face. My thumbs sweep slowly over her jaw, her cheekbones, memorizing her. My fingers trace the curve of her lips, the soft tremble of her mouth.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I whisper, the words rough with reverence.
“Hardly.”
“Stop that right now. Believe what I tell you.”
Her breath catches, her dark lashes fluttering against her cheek.
I lean down and press a soft, lingering kiss to her mouth. An unspoken promise that I’ll give her everything she wants. Everything she needs.
Then I force myself to let go, dropping my hands though it feels like tearing away part of myself. “I’ll leave you to get dressed. God knows I don’t want to. But I will.”
Reese joins me at the counter a few minutes later, and I hand her an ornate striped bag.
“What’s this?” She peers into the bag, her eyes widening at the sight of the satin and lace she modeled for me.
“For you. For every time you doubt how extraordinary you are, I want you to put one of these on and recall how I see you.”
“You don’t need to buy me gifts.”
“Trust me,” I reply with a wink. “I’m going to enjoy the hell out of them, too.”
After testingmy resolve with gorgeous lingerie, we head back to the ranch.
Reese, despite her best efforts, is exhausted, sleep drifting back into her eyes.
Time to get her to bed.
Fuck, I did not mean it like that.
Actually, I do, but I’m going to be good… and argue with my other head later.
“What the hell happened here?” I walk into the ranch sunroom, where Chowder watches me from the top of a newly assembled cat tree.
A cat tree that leans precariously to the left and threatens to topple with every movement the cat makes.
Chowder meows, his plaintive cry begging me to fix the slipshod assembly.
“Oh, that would be my sad attempt to put together his new tower.” Reese covers her mouth with her hand and laughs, shaking her head. “It looked better before.”
