be free and happy anywhere else, but you have this stupid debt of honor that’s forced you to save me again and again.”
He cupped her face with both hands, not letting her look away. “I’m not doing this because I owe you an honor debt, and I couldn’t be happy anywhere else because I wouldn’t be with you.” He seemed desperate to make her understand. “I don’t want to be with Pam. When she kissed it me, it felt like a violation. It felt wrong.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Because it wasn’t you.” He traced her jaw. “I don’t want anyone else but you, Maisie.”
She wanted to believe him. More than anything in the world, she wanted to believe what he was telling her. “You’re so confusing, Terror. I don’t understand you sometimes.”
“I know,” he said gently. “I know I've fucked this up more than once.” He hesitated before admitting, “You scare me.”
She reeled back in shock. “What do you mean?”
“You make me want all the things I thought I would never have. You make me want a future I never dreamed was possible for a man like me.”
“And that scares you?”
“It scares me because I’m afraid of disappointing you,” he confessed. “I’m afraid I’ll never be the man you deserve. What the hell do I know about being a mate?”
“Do you think I know how to be a mate?” Her heart soared as she realized they both wanted the same things. “Maybe we learn together.”
“Do you want that, Maisie?” He studied her face as if looking for a sliver of doubt. “Do you want to be with me? Together?”
“Yes.” She mouthed the word while signing it so he would understand how desperately and deeply she wanted that. “I want to be with you until the end of it all, Terror.”
He was visibly shaken by her declaration. His gaze turned dark and possessive. “You were wrong about me not wanting to fuck you, Maisie. It’s all I think about anymore. Fucking you. Marking you. Claiming you.” He leaned forward and teased his mouth over hers before pulling back so she could read his lips. “Loving you.” He kissed her again. “Breeding you.” Another kiss. “Building a family with you.” He let his tongue touch hers with the briefest flick. “Keeping you safe with me forever.”
Overcome with joy and love for this difficult man kneeling in front of her, she grasped his jacket in both hands and tugged him forward until their mouths met. She kissed him as if her life depended on it. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she shivered and pulled him so close she could feel his heartbeat thudding against her breast. Their frenzied kisses were rough and intense. She gasped for air as he kissed the edge of her mouth and nuzzled her face, rasping her delicate skin with his stubble.
He clasped her face between his hands and seemed to be searching her eyes for any hint of doubt. When he didn’t find it, he grinned. She was taken aback by how young he looked, how carefree and happy. Because of me.
The heady thrill she experienced morphed into joyous laughter as Terror unexpectedly picked her up and started carrying her toward the bathroom. She kissed his jaw and neck, stroking his heated skin and marveling at the change in their relationship. After everything they had been through, they were finally together like a couple.
Terror set her down carefully before tugging on her jacket and throwing it aside. He crouched down to take off her boots, and she bit her lower lip to hide her amusement at his urgency to get her naked. She leaned back against the counter, using it for balance as she lifted first one foot and then the other so he could remove her boots and two pairs of socks. He seemed surprised by the second pair, and she explained, “Too big.”
“Right.” He tossed aside the socks and went straight for the zipper and buttons of her pants.
She shuddered as his mouth danced across her lower belly while his strong hands pulled the pants down her hips and thighs. Trying not to fall as he manipulated her legs to get rid of the pants, she twisted her upper back and grabbed a dental cleansing packet from the shelf of provided toiletries. After that outrageously spicy noodle soup, she was self-conscious about her breath.
As she popped the fizzing tablet into her mouth, Terror grasped the flimsy one-size-fits-all underwear