Page 125 of The Crush of Christmas Past
I pivot and face him. “Sit. Please.”
He obeys without a word, immediately cluing in that we’re no longer in game territory.
As I walk over, he parts his knees wider for me, and I step between them. Framed by the strength of his body, I feel safe.Ready.
“Here.” I hold out the box. Then, before I can change my mind, I lift the lid. “There.”
He shifts forward, peering inside. “Is this…” He reaches in and picks up a short, tangled piece of yarn. “Wool?”
“And ribbon. Twine, too. Some embroidery floss, I think.”
He lifts another frayed strip of fabric and turns it between his fingers. “I know you like it when I tie you up, but this won’t do, Sunshine.”
“Remind me to tell you about our delayed rope order.” A short laugh slips out, catching in my throat as I remember what I’m doing right now. “But this isn’t aboutthat.” I squeeze my eyes shut and exhale. “I wanted…”
“Strings?” Theo’s hands still mid-motion. His head snaps up, gaze locking on mine. “You’re giving me strings?”
My throat tightens. “I used to be terrified of strings. Of what they meant. Of the kind of trap they posed. Promises. Permanence. Perfection. And eventually…pain.
“Being with you made me realize what I’d be giving up just to avoid getting hurt. So…” I swallow thickly. “I’m sayingyesto the strings. I want them. All of them. I want to be tethered to you by every single string.” My voice splinters. “Because…” Bending forward, I press my forehead against his, breathing him in. “I love you.”
So very much.
Thirty-Six
Isla
Theodoesn’tmove.Orblink. I’m pretty sure he’s also stopped breathing.
Just when I think I’ve short-circuited something vital in his brain, he finally boots up. “You love me?”
I frown. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No,” he murmurs, hoarse. “Not at all. I just want to hear you say it again.”
“I love you, Theo Thorne.”
He grins. “You love me?”
“How many more do you need?”
“How much time do we have?”
“Forever?” I whisper, testingout the word.
“That rope better get here soon. I’ve got big plans to tie you to the bed and make you tell me over and over again until we’re old and gray.”
His hands slide up to my hips, pulling me down onto his lap. One arm coils around my waist. The other hooks under my knees, tugging them across his thighs until I’m tangled in him, held so close I can’t tell where I end and he begins. He squeezes me, mouth brushing my ear, voice a low caress.
“You may begin now.”
I nip at his bottom lip. “And you plan to just sit there and look pretty?”
“Exactly.” He nuzzles into the crook of my neck, his warm breath sending goose bumps skittering across my skin. “But do a good enough job, and I might be tempted to throw in a fewlove yous of my own.”
The man talks a big game, but it only takes one before he surrenders.
He cradles my face between his palms, his thumb sweeping across my cheek. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Sunshine.” His lips find mine in a gentle kiss. “Long before I ever earned the right to the feeling.” The next kiss is firmer. Longer. “Now that I can finally say it out loud, I don’t want to go a single day without making sure you know exactly how loved you are.” By the time he finishes, his tongue is deep in my mouth and his hands are tightly woven in my hair.
