Page 179 of Desperate Pucker
Iblink at him, speechless at what he just said. “You love me?”
He nods. “I am so fucking in love with you.”
My heart feels like it’s exploding in my chest. I let a wobbly smile break free.
He cradles my face in his hands and kisses me, slow and soft and teasing.
It feels like fireworks are going off in my chest. Ryker loves me.
His mouth slants up in a sexy half-smile. “You look a little surprised there, princess.”
“I thought for sure you’d freak out. I mean, we’ve only been officially a couple for a month.”
“So?”
“So a lot of people would think that’s too soon to fall in love.”
“Maybe it is too soon. Maybe it isn’t. Does it matter? If we both feel the same way, nothing else matters.”
The certainty of his tone and his words makes my tummy do a somersault. He’s right.
I kiss him again.
“I can’t believe you love me,” I murmur
He smiles against my mouth. “Is it so hard to believe?”
“A little. You hated me when we first met.”
The low rumble of his chuckle vibrates against my mouth.
“Haven’t you figured it out, princess? I have a thing for feisty women who aren’t afraid to bust my balls.”
I chuckle, feeling lighter and happier than I have in a long, long time.
“You told me you loved me in your sleep,” I say. “I tried not to get my hopes up, though. I didn’t think it meant anything.”
His hold on me tightens as he drags his mouth along the hinge of my jaw. “I held back from telling you that I love you because I didn’t want to freak you out. I guess my unconscious mind had other plans.”
He cradles my face in his hands. Heat and emotion flash in his bourbon eyes.
“I didn’t think I’d ever fall in love again,” he says. “But then you came along. This ball-busting, stubborn hardass who was also the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”
I bite back a smile.
“I was a goner, Maddy. From the second I met you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get you out of my head.”
He presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “Slowly, you let your walls down. You let me in. You let me take care of you when you were sick. You let me cook for you. You let yourself be soft around me.” He kisses my forehead. “You let me love you.”
His voice is a soft rasp that sends goosebumps all over my skin.
“Say it again,” he whispers.
“I love you, Ryker.”
He lets out a low hum. He sounds so content, so happy.
“I love that you’re this tough and gruff hockey player who’s actually a big softie.”
