Page 67 of Tinder Embrace
“Bigfoot couldn’t pry me away,” I promised, snuggling into his shoulder.
“Careful, Bee. I’m going to hold you to that. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to let you go after tonight.”
“Who says you have to?” I asked.
“I’d fight the world for what’s mine.”
I propped my head on one hand, watching him carefully. The light in his eyes added a solemnity to the vow.
“You claiming me, Davis?” I asked, a smile flirting with my lips, keeping my tone casual so I wouldn’t give away how much his answer mattered.
Everything about us felt right. I wanted to grab it with both hands and never let go. Name it. The word “love” danced on the tip of my tongue.
“I can’t share my beastly side with just anyone,” he demurred, watching me.
“You’dbetternotbe. Honey, I may come off sweet, but that doesn’t make me any less fierce than you, only less obvious.”
He gasped. “Who’reyoucalling obvious, Ms. Sunshine and Rainbows? Every emotion shows on that sweet face of yours.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure.I’mobvious. Baby, just because I slide up with a smile, doesn’t mean I don’t protect what’s mine. I’m just not all,grrr, ugh,Davis about it.”
“You see through me, huh?” he asked, lips quirked in amusement.
“I do,” I said, smug in my belief I had him figured out.
Davis had run a good front, burying his heart and his loneliness behind a gruff exterior. But game recognizes game. Just because I chose different camouflage didn’t mean I was any less diligent about protecting myself. Protecting my heart was second nature.
I was finally learning, with Davis, I didn’t have to.
“Bee, I’m pretty sure it’s only you who finds me transparent. You know how to get under my skin.”
“Is that why you call me Bee?” I asked, sensing an opening to satisfy my curiosity. “Or is it because of Bee-gonia?”
“Neither,” he said, surprising me.
So muchfor my ability to read him.
“It’s short for Belle. Or Beauty if I’m feeling sentimental.”
I snorted, sure he was putting me on. “You? Sentimental?” I teased.
“Mmhm,” he murmured, tugging me until I sprawled over him. “You’re my very own Disney Princess.”
I chuckled. “Now I know you’re teasing me. You’ve been calling me that for months, even when I annoyed you. I poked him in the chest. Even when you yelled at me for flying over the farm.”
It was hard to believe Davis had been claiming me every time he used my nickname, but maybe I should have known. He used his words sparingly: any extra syllables meant more than I realized.
I shook my head, recalibrating our previous conversations. In his own quiet way, Davis had been flirting. Earlyandoften. It was more than a little mind-blowing—I’d believed I was flying solo with a one-sided crush.
“My sweet,sweetBelle,” he husked, kissing me gently. Gone was the cool reserve I was used to seeing in his gaze. He kissed me again, the simple gesture flowing through me like honey. For a man with such a tight grip on my heart, he sure knew how to seduce with the barest touch.
“Every Beast has to protect what’s his. For years that’s been the farm and my solitude. Now, it’s you.”
The possessive slant to his words should have worried me, but, secretly, I was thrilled. I was every bit as protective and possessive as he claimed to be.
Chapter 25
Davis
