Lowering her arm, she sighed dramatically. “My hero.”
His smile matched hers. Easy and carefree, the way a smile should be. He’d never seen her more beautiful than she was at that moment. Areas of her body glowed pink where his beard had irritated her skin the way she loved, dark pink nipples showed signs of his mouth’s attention, and true contentment shone in her half-lidded eyes and lazy grin.
But the sexiest thing ever was his bite mark in the front of her hip. He traced the red outline with his finger and felt a shudder run through her body.
Mine.
“I love seeing my marks on your skin, you know that?”
She bit the corner of her lip and gave a slight nod. He captured her chin and used his thumb to free her lip before tracing it once, twice. “If it weren’t for the wedding in a couple of days, I’d have marked you so everyone could see it. So they know you belong to me.”
Jax knew he took a big risk using dominant phrases with a woman like Vanessa. In her daily life she prided herself on her independence. On being in charge of herself and her life. On submitting to no one, especially a man. And he loved that about her. Her spunk, her drive, her stubborn streak. They were all things he found incredibly attractive.
But he needed her to understand she didn’t always have to be that way. It wasn’t completely who she was, but rather the way she’d built herself to be for her own protection. With him, she could let her guard down and let him take the lead. Trust in him to always take care of her, to know her needs and her wants, and know he’d always be loyal.
“I’ve never belonged to anyone,” she said softly. “Not even my mother. Not really, anyway.”
“That’s because there’s never been anyone in your life worthy enough to claim you.”
“And you?” She reached up and placed her hand along his cheek. “You are worthy enough?”
“Hell no,” he said, grabbing her fingers and pressing a warm kiss to the center of her palm. “But I promise I’ll always give you what you need. And whether you’re calling the shots or I am, you’ll always come first.”
A mischievous grin sprouted and her eyes twinkled. “I definitely like the sound of that last part.”
He chuckled, catching her meaning. “That’s not what I meant—which you well know—but, yes, in that respect as well. I couldn’t count myself a man otherwise.”
“Certainly not my man, that’s for sure,” she said, laughing.
She hadn’t said it—not really—but it was so close that his heart tripped over itself. He sobered and gazed deeply into her eyes. He needed to hear her say it. At least once before he ruined everything. “Am I yours, V?”
Jax saw the warring thoughts behind those deep green pools. Walls of tears gathered, and yet nothing fell from the corners when she blinked and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. His gut twisted into a mass of knots and his entire body tensed.
Just as he feared the worst, she whispered, “I can’t think of anything I want more.”
He’d never anticipated hearing such sweet words. His heart pounded so hard he felt the vibrations in his ribs. Smiling like a complete idiot, he prepared to kiss her breathless.
She held a hand up between them. “But—”
“No,” he said firmly. “No ‘buts.’ We can hash out details and logistics and whatever else later. What matters is how we feel and that we want to be together.”
That I love you. But he couldn’t say it out loud yet, even though he felt it in the very marrow of his bones. So much had happened so fast. What they just said was a huge step for both of them. When they finally reached the point of admitting to love, it would be monumental, and he wanted the moment to be perfect.
“Okay,” she said. “No ‘buts’…yet.”
“Fair enough.” And with that, he kissed her breathless. Arms and legs wrapped around each other, hands stroked, tongues danced. Adrenaline from the victory coursed through his veins like a potent drug.
He hated to lose that feeling, and yet he knew it was time for the last part of the conversation. The part that could irrevocably shatter everything he’d just gained.
Drawing back, he pressed his forehead to hers. One side of her face was cushioned by the inside of his upper arm, the other side framed with his free hand. The knots and tension crept back into the fibers of his muscles, causing them to burn like he’d just worked the bags at the gym.
“Hey,” she whispered. “What’s wrong? You’ve gone all hard on me. And not in a good way.”
“There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“You’re not looking to bring Jilli into this equation, are you? Because I’ve gotta tell you, as hot as she is, I’m extremely selfish where you’re concerned, and I refuse to share.”
Despite his nerves threatening to give him a stroke, he actually chuckled. “Never. You’re more than enough for me, pupule wahine.”