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His touch is gentle and strong. But burning with possession.

“I fucking love you, Princess.”

He slants his mouth over mine and kisses me.

A sob unfurls in my throat, and he holds me up as I cry into his mouth, a whimpering wreck as he undoes the damage that weeks apart has done with each stroke of his tongue.

“Don’t ever put yourself in danger for me again,” he rasps, dragging his lips over mine before he surges forward and kisses me again, stealing the air from my mouth.

“I wasn’t in any?—”

The warning growl vibrates up his chest, and I swallow it down with his kiss, my words ceasing immediately.

“Don’t ever pull a fucking stunt that involves another man, or any damn thing that is designed to make me leave you, got it?”

“I’m sorry,” I choke.

My lips tremble against his as he holds me in place with his palm around my throat. His thumb gently traces the edge of my jaw as he licks his lips, the tip of his tongue grazing my tingling ones and making me moan.

“Because, Sinclair,” he rasps, his whisper so hoarse and delicious that it sets butterflies swarming in my core. “… nothing you do will ever stop me from loving you. It’ll never make me leave you, got it? I know you’ve said goodbye to too many people already. I will not be one of them, understand?”

My throat presses against his warm palm, and I dissolve into chest-wrenching sobs. “I-I-I’m sorry.”

“Ssh,” he soothes.

“Are you moving back?” I ask, not caring that I sound desperate. He’s right. He does know me. I can’t hide from him. And I don’t want to even try anymore. “Denver, are you coming back?”

“Princess, I never left.”

“What do you mean?” I search his eyes and they burn into mine.

“I helped them move into their new place in LA, then I flew straight back.”

“You’ve been here this whole time?”

He frowns like he can’t believe I ever thought he would really go. “You belong with me, like I belong with you. There’s no way I was taking my eyes off you for a second longer than absolutely necessary.”

I stare at him as I make sense of his words. “You’ve been here? Watching me? ”

I lean back so I can study his eyes. His pupils blow wide as doubt creeps into them.

“That makes it sound?—”

“Creepy?” I whisper.

His brows knot. “Sin?—”

“You never left me?” I say in awe, shaking my head. “I don’t find it creepy. I find it insane and kind of hot that you’re that obsessed with me…” I tease, my pummeled heart coming back to life for the first time in weeks. “But… You never left me .”

“No,” he breathes. “I couldn’t.”

“You couldn’t leave me,” I repeat, my eyes dropping to his lips. “I love that you went all secret stalker Brute on me.”

“Sinclair,” he bites with an edge of warning, “I wasn’t stalking you. I was?—”

“Kiss me again,” I order, feeling emboldened by his confession.

He never left me. He couldn’t physically leave me.

His mouth is back on mine, and this time, my hands stop shaking and they sink into his hair, grabbing it and pulling him closer, remembering who I am, remembering who he is.

The man I love.

The only one I’ve ever loved.

“It didn’t count,” I gasp between his all-consuming kisses as he keeps me pinned in place with his strong hands, melding my body to his, exactly how he wants it. “I lied when I said it did. You were?—”

“… your first,” he growls, nipping my lower lip between his teeth. “I know, Princess. I own all of your firsts. They’re mine.”

“They are,” I whimper, kissing him again, my head tilted back so he can devour my mouth from where he’s towering above me.

Heat pools between my thighs at his possessiveness over me.

I love it. The way it makes me feel treasured, desired, safe .

“Did you watch me in the shower?” I ask.

“What?” he snaps, breaking our kiss. “Fuck no, I wouldn’t do that without you knowing.”

“Okay,” I say, unable to stop my pout. “So you didn’t watch me naked? You didn’t miss me that much?”

“Such a fucking princess,” he scolds, pulling my lips back to his for another searing kiss.

It’s like I’ve been brought back to life, each kiss of his injecting energy back into me again. I kiss him with a matching fire as he pieces me back together, making me stronger than before. Reminding me of who the woman he fell in love with is.

“Denver? I need…”

“You need me to prove to you I’m not lying when I said I won’t ever leave you?”

I shiver as his words roll over my skin and his lips travel to my neck, pressing gently beneath my ear, over my pulse.

“God, yes, please .”

“First you tell me what you want,” he rasps, peppering kisses down my neck toward my collarbone.

I close my eyes to the toe-curling sensation of having him here with his arms around me and his mouth on me again.

“Start talking,” he tsks, kissing his way along to the top of my shoulder.

“I want you to stay,” I say, letting out a moan as he uses one finger to slide the strap of my vest off my shoulder, before he kisses the inch of exposed skin left behind.

“What else?” he murmurs, moving to the other side and repeating the move.

The fingers curled around my hip flex, and he lets out a groan as I writhe in ecstasy from having his mouth on me, making my hipbone rub over his hard dick in his pants.

“I want you to open the door for me and get moody when I try to do it myself to wind you up.”

He dips his head lower and sucks the swell of my breast above the neckline of my vest, an amused grumble leaving his hot mouth as I arch into him.

“Keep going,” he husks.

“And I want you to hate all of my footwear and glare at it in that way that makes you look so hot and moody that I want to sit on your face, so you take your frustration out between my thighs instead.”

He yanks my vest down with a rough curse and pulls my nipple into his mouth.

“God!” I cry, tipping my head back and soaking up the ecstasy that’s pulsing through my veins.

“What else?” he asks, sucking on it until it’s on the brink of being painful.

A surge of wetness soaks my panties.

“I want to be able to taste vanilla coffee again from your lips when you kiss me. Because I hate the way it tastes from a mug. It makes me cry when I taste it from a mug.”

“Princess,” he soothes, “you’ll never have to drink it from a mug again, I promise.” His touch softens as he switches to my other breast and rolls his tongue around my nipple in slow, sensual circles.

My voice catches in my throat. “I want to love you, Denver. I want to just be in love with you and tell you every day. Because I do… I love you so much .”

“That’s my girl,” he breathes, rising up to kiss me on the mouth again. “Anything else?”

“I want to get Monty a girlfriend. I think he feels left out.”

Denver’s brows shoot up and he whips his head to the side, his eyes connecting with Monty, who’s still sitting exactly where he told him to stay.

His tail wags faster as he gazes at us with bright eyes.

“You need a girlfriend,” Denver says to him seriously, pulling my vest up to cover up my breasts.

The move makes me giggle. “Monty doesn’t care if we’re naked.”

“No way is he watching, Princess. I want you all to myself.”

Denver grabs my hand and strides off. I follow him into the kitchen where he goes straight to the cabinet where I keep Monty’s special treats; the chews that take him hours to get through.

Denver holds one out in his hand. “Here, Boy.” He hands it to Monty, then points to the living room. “Off you go.”

Monty trots off happily and I stare after him. I have him well-trained, but that’s something else.

“He really likes you,” I say.

“You’re right. He never liked Brad Garrett-Charles though.”

I smile at his gruff moodiness. “No, you’re right, he didn’t.”

I turn back to meet his eyes, but they’re lowered, studying my sweatpants.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he grits. “Bed. Naked. Now.”

I don’t move. His nostrils flare as he bundles me up into his arms.

“I can see I’ve got three weeks of spoiled behavior to fuck right out of you.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, biting back my grin as he takes us into my bedroom and kicks the door closed behind us. My clothes are dragged off me in seconds, followed by his.

I lie on the bed and stare at him as he kneels between my thighs, drinking me in.

“You’re beautiful,” he rasps, his eyes roaming all over my body.

“Everyone says I’ve gotten too thin,” I say, suddenly self-conscious.

Denver’s green eyes lift to mine and the adoration in them makes my heart skip a beat.

“You. Are. Beautiful,” he repeats. “And now that I’m back, I’ll make sure you eat properly, Princess. I’ll cook for you; you don’t need to worry.”

“You saying I can’t cook?”

“I’m saying you won’t cook because I will. I want to take care of you, and you’re going to let me.”

He brings his body down over mine, sealing his mouth over mine in a kiss that sets my heart racing.

“Yes,” I whimper, arching up to get closer to him. I’d agree to pretty much anything he wants right now. I just need him to touch me and never stop.

“Good girl,” he murmurs. “But it wasn’t a question. I take care of what’s mine . Now hold on.”

That’s all the warning I get before he grasps one of my thighs and pushes it wide, thrusting into me in one swift move.

“Denver!” I grab onto his shoulders, sinking my nails into his flesh.

He tuts. “So fucking greedy and wet for me that I didn’t even need to touch you and you’re taking every inch of my cock straight away.”

I mewl as he pumps his hips, sliding into me with deep, delicious, pump after pump.

“I love you, Sinclair,” he says, leaning down to kiss me again.

I wrap my arms around his neck, holding him to me as he sinks his body into mine over and over.

“I love you too.”

He pulls back far enough to look into my eyes as he slides a hand between our bodies until his fingers brush my swollen clit.

“The things I’m going to do to you tonight, Princess. But first I just want this.”

“This?” I whimper, gazing into his eyes as he rubs my clit and my pussy clenches around him.

“Yeah, this,” he murmurs. “You looking into my eyes and telling me you love me as I make you come. I’ve missed you .”

I almost do exactly as he says on the spot just from the look in his eyes as he watches me. They’re so full of dominance and heat… but most of all, total and utter devotion.

“I love you,” I whisper.

His pupils dilate and the green of his irises burns brighter. “Yeah?” One of his dark brows hitches.

“Yeah.” I nod, unable to tear my gaze away from his.

He strokes my clit in skilled circles, pulling my orgasm closer and closer to the surface.

I part my lips and pant as pressure builds inside me.

“That’s it. Let it go, Princess.”

I look into his eyes as he works me beneath him, his huge body the same enormous shield of carved and sculpted muscle that he uses to protect me.

To love me.

To keep me safe.

To never leave me.

“Denver,” I whimper.

“Let it go, Sinclair,” he urges. “Let it go.”

I hold his eyes, drowning—no swimming —in deep emerald green. Swimming toward those golden flecks of land that offer hope and love, and every dream I’ve ever had of feeling happy again.

A place where grief isn’t vanished, but it also doesn’t consume me anymore.

“Denver!” I cry as my body hands everything over to him and I come in deep, pulsing waves around him.

“Good girl. That’s my good girl. I love you, Sinclair,” he says, his lids hooding as he thrusts faster. “I love you so much.”

I hold his face between my palms as he comes deep inside me with an animalistic groan that stretches on and has warmth spreading all through my body at the same time as he spills his liquid heat inside me.

“Denver,” I moan.

His lips crash to mine and he kisses me through the rest of his orgasm, his body driving into mine over and over.

“Fuck,” he curses.

He takes his time, gradually slowing our kisses as our bodies settle into a gentle rhythm, before stilling completely.

I’m breathless as I gaze up at him, a million emotions bubbling inside my chest.

I stroke his cheeks with my thumbs as though I need to reassure myself that he really is here, and I didn’t just dream all of that.

“You said you had to stay away because you needed me to be sure. What did you mean? Because I am sure about loving you. That’s never been in question,” I say, needing to know what he’s thinking in this moment more than ever before.

His brow creases and his eyes fall closed briefly with a sigh. “I need to know that you want this with every part of you.”

“I do.”

He opens his eyes, and they burn into mine.

“Not just this.” He taps his finger from his chest to mine. “I meant that I needed to know if you’re ready for all the stories the press will want to write about you falling in love with your bodyguard. We’re a cliché, Princess. A fucking cliché that they’ll eat up.”

He looks at me, his face serious.

I can’t stop myself. I break into laughter. “You… you made a joke.”

His eyes glitter and a smile paints itself over his face, making his mouth look ridiculously kissable. “You’re laughing, so I guess I did.”

I stroke his cheeks, gazing up at him. “They will totally eat it up,” I whisper. “I might even need some extra private security until it dies down.”

“Killian and Jenson are busy for the next decade.” He grunts.

“They are?”

“I’m their boss again, so yeah, you bet your ass they are. No one is opening car doors and carrying your bags except me. I promised you I wouldn’t do it for anyone else. And that goes both ways.”

“You’re going to be my bodyguard again?”

“I’m going to be your boyfriend, Sinclair.”

He turns his face and catches my wrist in his hand, bringing it to his lips so he can press a kiss to it.

“We really need to tell my father,” I say, guilt pulling at my chest. I want to bask in this moment, soak in the beauty of having Denver back again. But the knowledge that my father still doesn’t know gnaws at me.

“He knows,” Denver says.

“What?” I gasp. “You told him? Was he angry? Was he…? Oh my god, he must have been so shocked!”

I swear Denver’s lips twitch, but his voice remains serious. “He’s… getting used to the idea faster than I thought he would. I’m just thankful he chose me and not Killian or Jenson.”

“If I recall, he said you were the best. Although, Killian is interesting, and Jenson’s funny,” I muse.

He flashes a warning look at me, and I bite down on my lower lip as I smile.

“I like your jokes better though, Brute,” I whisper, trailing my fingertips along his sinful lower lip.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Come back here and kiss me,” he rumbles.

“That an order?” I arch a brow, my pussy tingling at the way his eyes darken.

“It’s a fucking order, Princess. Now come here.”

I squeal as he pins me to the mattress beneath him and his cock thickens inside me again.

His eyes soften and he presses the gentlest of kisses to my lips, letting them rest against mine. “ I love you ,” he whispers, and then he starts thrusting again.