Page 40 of Puck, Marry, Thrill

She stared at him, wonder crashing into her chest like a wave. “Gosh, I love the way your brain works,” she blurted out, almost in disbelief. There was something so rare in him—this mix of wit and sincerity, charm and vulnerability—that she hadn’t realized how deeply she was already tangled in him. She climbed onto the bed, curling up beside him, close enough to feel his warmth.

He handed her the glass and picked up a snack cake, holding it out to her with a teasing smile.

“Boy, you just dive right in, don’t ya…” she chuckled, eyeing the wine and then the snack cake he was gently pressing to her lips.

“Stop, I’ll take a bite, but…”

“It’s because I can’t wait to touch those lips,” he murmured, voice suddenly low and charged with meaning.

Her breath caught again, and she swallowed the bite he offered her—whole. Her eyes never left his. There was something raw and honest in his expression that anchored her, and she felt something unspoken settle between them.

Then he tapped her glass, gently prompting her.

Without thinking, Jamie tilted the glass back and downed the wine in one go. The sweetness of the dessert still clung to her tongue—and the wine hit like a tidal wave of regret. Her whole body recoiled.

She grimaced and shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut as her taste buds waged war.

“That was awful together,” she admitted with a scrunched-up nose, her voice low but full of honest disgust.

Kenneth’s quiet laugh warmed the space between them— that soft, easy sound of his that somehow made even the most embarrassing moments feel safe. She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a light swat on the arm.

“Keep your voice down, or Boucher will hear us,” she hissed, even though part of her didn’t really care. That man had already lingered too long in their orbit tonight. It was weird having another man sleeping under the same roof, regardless of whether he was on the couch or not.

Kenneth only smirked, leaning just a little closer. “It’s our house, and I hope he does…”

Her brow arched, suspicious and curious all at once. “Why?”

“So he knows I’m happy – and doesn’t overstay his welcome.”

Jamie blinked. Her breath caught, just slightly. That wasn’t some offhanded comment. That wasreal. That was him peeling open a piece of his heart and handing it to her without flinching.

Her chest tightened around the unexpected warmth spreading through her. His words hit her like the first golden light of dawn—gentle, radiant, and impossible to ignore. She saw it then—his intention, his honesty—and something shifted inside her.

He took her empty glass from her hand, slow and deliberate, and set it aside. There was a reverence in the way he moved, like he was handling something sacred. And maybe he was—her. The way his gaze traced over her, unhurried and aching, made her feel like the most precious thing in the world.

His voice dropped to a near-whisper, brushing against her like velvet. “Does my beautiful wife want another bite of hersnack cake?”

Her heart didn’t just melt—it unraveled. It unfurled and soaked up every bit of him. That smile, that ridiculous nickname, that steady presence that grounded her like roots burrowing into familiar soil.

“Does she ever,” she breathed, voice husky with something raw and wanting. He pulled her in, arms wrapping around her with such instinctual tenderness it almost undid her completely. Everything about him—the scent of his skin, the way his heartbeat thrummed beneath her fingers, the solid press of his body—it was overwhelming. And yet she knew it would never, ever be enough. Not when it came to him.

Kenneth brushed his nose against hers, lingering in that small, sacred space between breaths. She could feel the hesitation in him before he spoke.

“I want this, all of this, but if you aren’t sure… tell me now.”

Jamie’s voice trembled, but her conviction didn’t. “I want it all…”

He exhaled, and she felt it—a quiet surrender. But still, he wasn’t done.

“I’ve got a lot of flaws, and I’m going to make you mad, but it’s never on purpose…”

She reached up, fingers curling around the back of his neck, grounding them both. “I know,” she murmured, soft as a confession. “I know you’re trying, and when you have two independent people trying to take control, things clash…”

His voice cracked with something deeper. “I want you to need me – and I know you don’t. It scares me.”

Jamie’s heart clenched. That vulnerability—that truth—wasn't easy for him to say. And yet, here he was, laying it bare for her to see. He was dropping his walls, giving her a glimpse of the scarred man hiding inside.

“Idoneed you,” she whispered, holding his gaze with all the emotion she had bottled up for too long. “But not the way you imagine. I don’t need you to take control – I need you to catch me if I ever fall. Just support me, be there, and be the amazing man I know.”

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