Page 123 of A Better Place

I lean in as close as possible to her, both hands bracing me against the car, caging her in as I graze her cheek with mine and kiss her neck lightly.

She whimpers, and it sends a direct signal south.

“You wanna know the difference between then… and now?”

“Hmm…” she mumbles, caught up in my tangle.

“You weren’t mine then,” I tell her, my voice strong and firm.

“I’m yours?” she whispers.

I cock my head sideways and narrow my eyes at her.

“Did you question that to be true?” I ask. “Have I not made myself clear?”

“Umm,” she starts, but I cut her off by running my nose down the side of her neck, pausing at that special little nook to inhale her honey-sweet scent.

“Just so there’s no confusion, Carly. Just in case you didn’t know… I’m absolutely crazy about you. You’re mine. Mind. Body. Soul. And especially your heart. Just like my heart’s yours. And I’m gonna go ahead and repeat this because it deserves to be repeated. You’re mine. Do you understand, sweetheart? This isn’t up for debate. This isn’t something that will change. This is it. You with me?”

“Yeah, I’m with you,” she says breathlessly.

“I meant what I said. This is it for me. You’re it for me. One day soon I’ll ask for real, but you need to know… us? It’s real, and it’s forever.”

Her eyes widen at my promises before she grabs my shirt and jerks me forward, sealing our mouths together with such force I’m afraid I hurt her. Her answering moans tell me otherwise. I skim my hands down her body, loving the feel of her silky skin under my calloused palms. Her body is the perfect combination of strength and softness. Hours spent in the gym boxing and in the yoga studio have molded her frame into the perfect combination of soft curves and a powerful body that has helped her overcome so much.

We’re standing in the private parking area behind Balance, but it’s still in a public area, so to be as turned on as I am at this moment is probably not appropriate, but I don’t really give a damn. The feel of her body under me, something I’ve been aching to feel since the moment I met her, has every nerve firing.

I reluctantly pull away, but only slightly. I’m not willing to part with the feel of her just yet.

“Baby, as amazing as this is, I’m not willing to give anyone a show here. And I’m a little worried we’re gonna tip over the Tinker Toy if I press you against it any harder,” I say with a grin.

She busts out laughing, a sound I’ll never tire of. Her eyes are shining brightly, a combination of happiness and lust, I’m learning.

“You really are such a dork,” she says, still laughing.

“I own it though.”

“You really do.”

“Carly, as much as I appreciate your love for the environment and buying a car that runs by the power of your feet…” She snorts, which causes me to grin again. “…you know it’s not safe. Not to mention it’s crap in the snow. If you got in an accident, you’d be crushed. My heart can’t take it.”

“That’s what we have Jack’s pickup for.”

I raise my eyebrows at her ridiculous reasoning.

She rolls her eyes in return. “You’re not going to drop it, are you?”

“Nope.”

“James, my car is fine.”

“You might be surprised to learn I disagree.”

“Shocker.”

“It’s nice to know I still keep you on your toes.”

She looks to the sky.

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