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But his hand is on my jaw and I find I can’t tear my eyes from his.

“You’re strong, baby, and you’ve been through hell. We need to remember that it’s not just going to be easy moving forward.”

I sigh.

His voice lightens, humor creeping into his eyes. “And I need to remember myself when you’re being so fucking sexy that I stop thinking.”

My stomach clenches again. “But I want you to be able to stop thinking. I want you to be able to forget yourself and do the things in bed”—my cheeks heat—“that you want without me limiting?—”

“Stop, baby,” he orders roughly. “You’re not limiting me.”

I nod.

“You’re not.”

I nod again. “Except for the fact that I freaked out and ran into the bathroom.”

“So we need to take things slow,” he says, dropping his hand from my jaw. “There’s fun in taking things slow.”

“Except if you want to take them fast and your partner can’t keep up.” And I don’t honestly know if I can keep up with all that Hudson wants and needs in a relationship. I flinch at his touch, freak out in bed.

I’m messed up.

I’m traumatized.

I—

I stare into his hazel eyes but I can’t read the emotions in the unfathomable depths.

And then he slowly lets me go and stands up, moves away from me.

Damn.

A pang through my middle, my heart convulsing, my eyes burning. My lids slide closed and I drop my chin to my chest.

“Princess.”

They fly open, see that Hudson is there—right there—and his hand is extended toward me.

“Will you come with me?”

I can’t deny him that.

I can’t deny him anything—not when he’s looking at me with those soft eyes, talking to me with that gentle voice.

I nod, allow him to draw me to my feet.

He slips the blanket from my shoulders, but passes me a pair of my pajama pants, tugs a sweatshirt over my head.

It’s so big, it practically engulfs me, but being wrapped in his scent settles me enough that I don’t protest when he tugs on a pair of socks, my shoes, and draws me downstairs to the garage.

Minutes later, we’re driving through the dark, the quiet roads all but deserted.

It’s not until he’s pulling to a stop on a moonlit overlook that I understand.

Heart pounding, I turn to him.

“You came here after Colt died.”