Page 138 of Let You Love Me

I clear my throat and he glances my way. “Hey,” he says, a smile curving his lips.

I nod toward the hallway. “She was hoping you’d tuck her in, say good night.”

“Absolutely.” He rises, drawing closer and towering above me as he grabs my hand and walks with me down the hallway toward her bedroom.

Pausing just outside, I let him go in while I wait beside her doorway, head against the wall as I listen to him tell her good night. “Sweet dreams, Sweet Sophie,” he murmurs, and my heart swells.

A rustling sound followed by footsteps signals his approach, and when he steps out into the hallway and shuts her door behind him, I soak him in.

He’s all tousled blond curls, tan skin, seaside eyes, and dimpled smiles.

God, he’s beautiful.

And my little girl is every bit as smitten as I am.

The thought should scare me, but somehow it doesn’t. Not anymore. Not like it did.

“The kid had quite the day,” he says, leaning back against the wall across from me, tucking his hands into the pockets of his gray sweats. “I think she’ll be out in minutes.”

I hum in response as I glance down at the monitor, then turn it toward him, so he can see. “I think maybe she already is.”

He chuckles, a soft rumble I can feel vibrating in my chest even though we’re feet apart.

“Thank you again for today,” I whisper, not wanting to wake Soph. “You have no idea how much your help meant to me.”

He offers me a lazy shrug. “No big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me,” I say.

Tell him you love him.

The voice inside my head startles me, and I swallow, my throat dry.

I’d known my feelings had been on a downward spiral for quite some time now, but to have them intrude so suddenly shakes me.

Heart pumping wildly in my chest, I debate my options, but my tongue is leaden, too heavy to speak as Teagan curls a finger, beckoning me forward. “Come here.”

I suck in a breath, then close the gap between us without hesitation, coming to stand directly in front of him.

His hands lift, trailing his fingertips up my arm, over the delicate skin of my collarbone to either side of my neck before sinking into my hair at the base of my skull.

I whimper, a shiver racking through me at his touch.

Nerves coil in my stomach, a viper waiting to strike as his gaze flickers to my mouth.

I rise on my toes, knowing what comes next and not wanting to wait another minute to have his mouth on mine.

His hands tighten in my hair as he dips his head, and our lips meet. Fingers gently press into my scalp as his tongue brushes the seam of my lips, begging for entrance, and I open for him at the same time, he spins me around and pins me against the wall all while his mouth claims me.

He takes his time, angling my head and deepening the kiss while my heart beats wildly.

His tongue glides against mine, tasting and coaxing me into submission before he lowers his mouth, lips skimming over my jaw.

I bite down to stifle the moan threatening to erupt from my chest while my hands slide beneath his shirt. Hot skin meets my palms, and his abdominals clench under my touch before he grinds his hips to mine.

“Sometimes I think you’re too good to be true,” I confess.

He grunts, his lips and tongue hot on my skin as he continues his perusal, scraping his teeth over my collarbone, my neck,before he lifts his head to meet my hooded gaze. “I’m very much real, Lane, and I’m here, right where I want to be. With you.” He leans his forehead against mine, his breathing ragged. “And if I’m too good to be true, then so are you. You have no idea how fucking special you are.”