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“Now you love me? All of a sudden?” I got to my feet, making wide arm gestures.

“Have you not been listening? I wanted you from the first moment I met you.”

He had said that. But that didn’t make sense. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m saying I love you. I don’t know when it started, but I. Love. You. I’ve never been in love before, so excuse me if I didn’t immediately realize what was happening.”

Aha! “Then how do you know it’s love now? And not the marking?” I said, pointing at him. “It’ll pass.”

“When Hank told me what was happening, it was as if my guts had been ripped out of me.”

“It would’ve passed.”

“You don’t get it. It’s not going to pass. It’s the same feeling I’ve had since before I even marked you that’s been growing stronger every day, and when you talk about leaving, I want to chain you to this bed, except the idea of making you miserable, even if that’s because you’re stuck with me, makes it impossible to do that. So I never want to leave you, and yet I value your happiness over my own. You tell me what that is if it’s not love?”

I swallowed hard, looking at him. He seemed to mean it. And if it had started before he’d marked me…

“Why is it that I can see how you feel for me but you’re so utterly blind to it?” he said. “We’re mated, and it’s not some fake act for everyone else. You’re mine. Can’t you see it? And why are you crying?”

“I’m not lovable. Why would you want me? I’m a mess. People don’t love me.”

“Clearly that’s not true, because I do. You’re the only person in the world I’ve ever wanted like this, and if you try to leave me I might show you just how arrogant and bossy and horrible I can be, because I’m not letting you destroy this.”

“You mean you don’t want to just fuck me?”

“I love you to the point that it hurts me to even contemplate something happening to you. And I wasn’t fucking you. I was making love to you.”

I laughed softly, in spite of my tears. “Thatwas making love? Not that I’m complaining or anything. Whatever it was felt great. I’m just not sure I’d consider that making love.”

“Maybe I should try again, a little slower this time, just to make sure you recognize it.” He picked me up.

“I guess if you feel like you should,” I said, laughing.

“I don’t want to leave any confusion.” His mouth covered mine again.

Chapter Thirty

Kaden, Cookie, Dice, Connor, and Luisca were all staring at me. I was in black leather, head to toe. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail so tight that I’d never make it through today without a headache.

“Well?” I asked, holding my hands out.

There were various degrees of nodding.

“It’ll do,” Cookie said.

“It’ll do? You picked out the entire outfit.” She’d come in this morning with a pile of clothes, making me try on every piece and then calling in the rest of them when she’d finally decided.

“I picked out the outfit, but you don’t look like you’re ready to punch someone in the face.”

“I can punch someone.” I didn’t feel like it, but I could. It was just hard to look too worked up when my muscles felt like jelly and I’d climaxed more times in a day than I’d ever thought possible.

“Can you show a little more tit? Maybe it’ll make you look tougher,” Dice said.

“No, my mate can’t show more tit,” Kaden said, glaring in Dice’s direction.

“I just thought it might help,” Dice said, shrugging.

“You are so stupid sometimes,” Cookie said.