"I think we are confusing love with lust."

I shook my head. "That would make this so much easier, but... no, I am in love with you, Cam. When you're not with me, I miss you. You're all I can think about. Watching you with him felt like you reached into my chest, ripped my heart out, and stomped on it. And what was crazy is I wanted to feel that pain because I wasn't ready to give up on us."

"It's hard to believe you." Her fingertips ghosted across my chest. Her eyes tracked the movement, avoiding mine until the last possible moment. "It's hard to tell the difference between love and lust with you." The sheets rustled as she shifted back, creating a canyon of inches between us. "And it's hard to trust that you won't freak out and hurt me again."

"Then let me prove it." I bridged the gap she'd created, sliding my palm along her jaw until she couldn't look away, couldn't hide from the truth in my eyes.

She lifted her lips to mine. "Okay." She pressed her lips to mine in a soft kiss that nearly stole my breath. It wasn't desperate or needy. It said that she loved me too without saying the words.

"Just want to make sure we are clear." My arms encircled her waist, drawing her into the shelter of my body. "You are mine, and I am yours." My grip tightened, protective and possessive in equal measure. "I don't want to share you, and I don't want anyone but you."

Her fingers splayed across my chest, right above my heart. "No more lies." Her fingers found mine in the darkness, intertwining with quiet determination. "We are both honest and upfront about everything."

"No more lies." I brought our joined hands to my lips, sealing the promise with a kiss. "I promise."

Her body relaxed against mine, tension melting away. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Yeah." I gathered her closer, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. The sound of rain against the window played counterpoint to our synchronized breaths. Some things didn't need to be said aloud—like how I planned to spend every night for the rest of my life exactly like this.

Chapter 43

Camryn

Sunlight warmed my closed eyelids as Trystan's chest rose and fell against my back, his arm draped heavily across my waist. I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face as I kept my eyes shut, trying to preserve this moment a little longer.

"Good morning, beautiful." His morning-rough voice vibrated against the curve where my neck met my shoulder. When his lips pressed against my skin, a shiver rippled from that point of contact down to my toes, leaving a path of goosebumps across my skin.

"Mmmm." I arched into his touch, my body moving on pure instinct. "What time is it?"

He traced lazy circles on my hip. "I have no idea." His words brushed against my skin like silk as his lips mapped a lazy trail from my shoulder to my neck. "I want to stay in this spot, holding you like this all day."

A laugh bubbled up from my chest. "We can't. We have wedding stuff to do."

His fingers splayed possessively across my stomach. "No one will miss us."

His teeth grazed the shell of my ear, and I clutched the sheets, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Oh yes, they will." There was nothing more I wanted than to spend all day in bed with him, but we couldn't, and we couldn't go public about us yet, either. "Hey." I rolled onto my side to face him, the mattress shifting beneath us. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, dark lashes casting shadows on his cheeks in the morning light. The few inches between us felt electric. "I want to keep this," I placed my hand on his bare chest, feeling his heartbeat strong and steady against my palm, "us, a secret for now."

His brows pulled together, a shadow crossing his face that made my stomach clench. His fingers traced a burning path along my throat before cradling my jaw, his thumb ghosting over my lips in a touch so gentle it almost broke me. "I think they're going to notice."

"Well, for now," I said, trying to focus as his other arm slid under my head. "I want this to just be us."

"Does this have anything to do with Owen?"

Biting down on my bottom lip, I hesitated to answer. "Maybe. A little. But mostly, I just don't want to cause drama this weekend. Kai and Jax's wedding is on Saturday. The last thing they need is to worry about us."

He pursed his full lips, his gaze lifting over my head like he was thinking about what I had said. "So you want to be my dirty little secret?"

"For a few days." I smirked.

His fingers dug into my hip, drawing me in until we were chest-to-chest. "Okay," he murmured. His hand slid up to cradle my jaw, thumb pressing gently beneath my chin to tilt my face toward his.

My eyes fluttered shut, lips parting in anticipation. "But only until the wedding is over." The words ghosted across my mouth before his lips claimed mine.

He shifted, pressing me back into the mattress as his free hand traced a deliberate path between us, down the column of my throat, between my breasts, leaving a trail of fire across my skin until his fingertips teased the sensitive skin above the waistband of my panties.

His lips captured mine as his tongue slipped through my parted lips, tangling with mine until I was breathless.

I tore my mouth from his gasping for air, and his lips trailed down my throat, teeth grazing my pulse point as his hand skimmed lower. My breath hitched when his fingers disappeared beneath the elastic of my waistband, each touch deliberate and knowing. He traced lazy circles against my heated skin, making my hips arch toward his hand.