“You have to at least give me a fucking reason, Marshall!” Her voice followed me inside the house. “You left me alone for most of the day and I went out looking for you! It’s not my fault he was the first person who found me. He does work for you, and—”

I spun on her. “Heworkedfor my father. That’s the only reason he still has a job. And as a matter of fact, he might’ve just lost it talking to you.”

I realized I said too much when her eyes widened in understanding.

“You’re jealous,” she breathed with a small laugh. “That’s what this is about.”

I rolled my eyes and turned back around, headed toward the kitchen to get myself a cup of water.

“Oh, so I’m good enough to hang on a shelf and just have waiting forever, but when someone even talks to me—he didn’t even show interest in me, by the way—it’s a problem?”

I stopped by the door and exhaled heavily.

Fuck it.

I moved and my mouth was on hers in less than a second. She returned my kiss with as much passion as I took it. She was beyond good enough—she was more than enough. Which is why she couldn’t be hanging around someone like him.

My tongue invaded her mouth just as my hands moved beneath her thighs, lifting her up onto my hips with ease. The days we weren’t talking were torture. It was maybe worse than when she’d left—to know I had her within my reach, and I let her slip away so easily. I had no one else to blame but myself and my own stupidity.

The memory of her body, of the sounds she made, and the way she moved against me was something that wandered the halls of my mind day in and day out. I was hard for her every second that I thought about it and furious when I realized that it was my fault that I couldn’t have her.

I backed her up until we hit the wall where I ground my hips into her further. She threw her head back, giving me access to her neck that I took advantage of. I sucked so hard I was certain I left a hickey there, but her moans of appreciation were completely worth it.

Before I took it any further, there was something I needed to do. I pulled back enough so I could see her pretty face.

“I meant it when I said I didn’t want to let you go a second time,” I said as my breaths came ragged.

Her eyes—those beautiful eyes I could drown myself in forever—looked worried. “Wha—”

“You’re mine, Trish. You’re always gonna be mine. But from today, from right now, I’m yours.”

I saw the moment it registered in her brain what I meant. I kissed her to hide away all the worry that came with that. If I knew anything about her was that she overthought everything. I needed her to be free of those thoughts for now.

She reached between us and into my pants to find I was hard already for her. She started pumping up and down, causing me to break the kiss to breathe into her mouth.

Her eyes were on fire as she uttered the word I didn’t know would be the end of me.

“Mine,” she said.

I put her down on her feet and practically dragged her clothes off her while I pushed my pants to my knees and hauled my T-shirt over my head. Then, I pulled her back into my arms and sank her onto me. She was gloriously wet and warm for me. She gasped and tightened at first, but then she was loosening up and throwing her head back in absolute pleasure as I pumped into her.

It was torture moving this slowly into her; quite frankly, I didn’t want to. So, when I felt like she was used to me enough, I quickened the pace. Hard and fast, I thrust into her. She ran her fingers through my hair, holding tight as her moans filled the air between us. I kissed her deeply as we continued our relentless movements.

Her hips tried to meet mine but ultimately gave over the control to me. Just the thought of it was enough to send me over the edge.

“Marshall,” she breathed my name into my ear. It was the most erotic thing anyone had ever done.

The sound of our bodies moving together was the only music I ever needed in this life and each one after it. When she claimed my lips again, her body tightened to the point that I winced in pain as she collapsed into climax. I followed her soon after, my neck stiffening before falling into hers.

“I could get used to that,” she breathed after a moment.

I laughed and kissed her lips once more.

I brought her over to the couch without moving myself from inside her. I wanted to always be connected to her like this.

“What are we gonna tell Zane?” She asked.

Never one to waste time on bullshit.