Page 69 of Playing with Trouble

I bit my bottom lip, my pulse spiking because only Ford could make domestic life sound both safe and sinful.

“It’s you, letting me in,” he said gruffly.“Every damn day.Even when it’s hard.And me choosing you, every damn day, even when it’s hard.”

My throat seemed to close up at that, the emotions inside of me nearly overwhelming in their clarity.“It looks like a future,” I whispered, adding my promise to his.“With you.However we build it.”

“Are you going to bolt if I tell you I love you?”Ford asked.

The words sent a shock through me, but the honesty in Ford’s eyes rooted me in place and forced me to face my own feelings for him.What had started as me resisting him at every turn had developed into the safest love I’d ever known, all because this man proved, again and again, that his loyalty never wavered.That there was nothing I could do to drive him away, not even on my worst days.

“No,” I said softly, then stronger, “I’m done running from you.”

Ford’s eyes searched mine, cautious hope flickering there.“You sure?”

I exhaled a breath, one I felt as though I’d been holding in all my life.“I love you, Ford,” I whispered, taking a leap of faith with him.“And I’m not going anywhere.”

Ford went completely still.For a long moment, he just stared at me, as if making sure he’d actually heard me correctly.As if he was afraid to blink and find out it wasn’t real.

Then everything in his expression broke wide open.The look in his eyes ignited into something fierce and raw and devastatingly tender, like I’d just handed him the entire world and he didn’t know how to hold it gently enough.

“Violet…” he breathed, voice thick, almost shaken.“Say it again.”

“I love you,” I said, the words coming easier now.

That was all it took.He cupped my face in both hands like I was something precious, like I was breakable and sacred andhis.His thumbs brushed my cheeks reverently, and his forehead touched mine for the softest, sweetest second.

Then he kissed me.

God, hekissedme.

It wasn’t rushed or greedy.It was deep, slow, claiming…like he was pouring every emotion he’d ever had for me into that one moment.Like he’d been waiting his whole life to finally stop holding back.His lips moved over mine with purpose, with devotion, with promise.I melted into him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing in the universe.

Because for me, he was.

And when I kissed him back, it wasn’t out of fear or confusion or desperation.It was love.Real, terrifying, beautiful love.

Ford made a low, broken sound against my mouth, like me kissing him back was almost too much.He deepened the kiss, one hand sliding into my hair, the other anchoring me to him.I felt him everywhere—his warmth, his strength, his steady heartbeat pressed against my chest.

Emotion surged so hard inside me it almost hurt.This was it.The moment we both finally chose each other.And for once in my life, love didn’t feel like a risk.It felt like coming home, right here where I belonged with Ford.

“Violet,” he breathed against my lips, like my name was the only prayer he knew.His hands trembled slightly as they gently held my face, his forehead resting against mine.“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”

“I think I do,” I whispered, because I’d felt it, too.That slow, relentless pull toward him from the very beginning.“Ford…”

I didn’t get to say anything else.He kissed me again, deeper, hungrier, like holding back was no longer an option.I melted against him with a soft gasp as his tongue slid against mine.I slid my hands under his shirt, desperate for more contact, and felt heat and firm muscle.And when he groaned into my mouth, it rumbled through me like thunder breaking a long drought.

He backed me up against the nearest wall with his body, pressing into me, and I arched up to meet him, desire flooding through my veins.His hands were everywhere as he kept kissing me—gripping my waist, my hips, skimming down my thighs before sliding back up beneath the hem of my shirt, fingertips dragging over my skin like he was memorizing every inch.

“Tell me to stop,” he rasped against my lips, even as he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his hips instinctively.“Or I swear to God, Violet, I’m taking you to bed right now.”

“Don’t stop,” I said breathlessly.“Please don’t stop.”

He growled softly and pushed off the wall, his hands cupping my ass as he carried me toward the bedroom like I weighed nothing.I clung to him, kissing him hard, pouring every ounce of love and longing I had into it.

Clothes started disappearing as soon as my feet touched the ground, tossed haphazardly across the floor, until we were both completely naked.He backed me toward the bed, and when my thighs hit the mattress he lifted me easily, laying me out like I was a feast for him to devour.He came down over me, bracing his forearms so his weight caged me in without crushing.

I hooked my legs around his hips and tugged him forward, moaning when the head of his cock slid through my already slick pussy and notched itself at my opening.He didn’t thrust like I wanted, and I made an inarticulate sound in the back of my throat.

“So impatient,” he said, his voice rough and his eyes hot.“Good.I like you impatient.”His hands found my wrists, lifting them above my head.“I also like youobedientwhen I ask.”