to Dane—his own siblings—to cause him physical harm. If you didn’t properly bond with someone, it wouldn’t hurt emotionally when they caned you, would it?
His bond with his twin had survived that shit, but then Dane had lost Oliver; lost the one person who mattered; the one person who anchored him. And what had that taught an emotionally stunted eight-year-old Dane? That caring for others only led to pain. So he’d shut down, becoming so self-reliant and self-focused that it pushed others away.
And yet, he’d opened up his world to me little by little. He’d let himself trust me—so much so that he slept beside me at night. He’d let himself care for me, even when taking that risk must have been so hard. And he’d grown to feel secure enough in what we had that he’d gone a daunting step further and made the decision to build a life with me.
The whole thing absolutely fucking humbled me. I didn’t need the three little words people tossed around too lightly, too often. Not when the man in front of me had pushed past every self-protective measure he had to get to this point. Not when he stood here offering me all the things I wanted. That was far more profound than a declaration of undying love.
I inhaled deeply and replied, “Tear them up.”
“Be certain, Vienna. I won’t make this offer again—I’m too selfish for that. If you fully commit to me right now, I’ll hold you to that. I won’t let you go back on it.”
“I’m certain.” I tore up the single sheet I held and set the pieces on the shelf, right beside his hospital letter. “You can tear up the rest.”
His steely eyes glittered with triumph.
“But you need to get rid of the idea that I’m trapped in this marriage,” I quickly added. “Although I don’t want to leave you and I wouldn’t give up on us if we were experiencing a bad patch, I’m not someone who’d stay in an unhappy marriage, so you’d better pull your weight. And I will walk if you ever cheat—I’d lose all respect I had for you, and I wouldn’t respect myself if I stayed.”
He cocked his head. “Do you think I’d ever cheat?”
If for no other reason than it would make him feel like his adulterous father … “No. I don’t believe you’d cheapen me or yourself that way. Which is good for you, because I wouldn’t hesitate to scald your cock with boiling water if you ever strayed.”
Dane winced. “Vengeful. I like it.” He ate up the last bit of space between us. “You never have to worry that I’ll cheat on you, Vienna.” He dipped his head and kissed one side of my neck. “It would simply never happen.” He pressed a kiss to the other side of my neck. “You’re all I want. You’re all I’ll ever want.” He brushed his lips over mine. “Got it?”
“Got it.”
He hummed. “Good.”
I went to kiss him, but he delved one hand into my hair and wrapped the other around my throat, holding me still. I gasped and gripped the sides of his shirt. My pulse began to quicken as—that easily—a delicious, electric energy started to build and crackle in the air between us.
His gaze drifted over my face, tracing every line, curve, feature, freckle. “All mine,” he whispered.
I licked my lips when his eyes dropped to my mouth. But he didn’t swoop down and claim it as I’d expected. Instead, he dabbed a soft kiss to the corner of my eyelid. It was sweet, sure, but I wanted his mouth on mine.
I didn’t get it.
He breezed his lips over my eyelids and then began to whisper butterfly kisses along the sides of my face. Every touch was featherlight, even the nip to my jaw, awakening every nerve-ending and feeding the sexual tension that had snapped the air taut.
I sank into the moment, letting my body go soft and pliant against his. His low growl of approval tightened my nipples and made my blood thicken.
His cock, hardening fast, aggressively dug into my stomach. But he didn’t grind against me. Didn’t lay a demanding kiss on me. He hovered his mouth a mere inch above mine, stared deeply into my eyes, hiding nothing, seeing everything. Anticipation spiraled through me and wound me excruciatingly tight.
I sucked on his lower lip. He squeezed my throat and pulled back. Okay, I got the message. I was just supposed to take what he gave. But it