the heated skin on his back. When I curl my fingertips into him, I feel like I’m inking the message into his skin.
Mine.
He responds by sliding his hands beneath my skirt and cupping my ass as he lifts me against him. Our lips never part as he carries me to the bed and eases me down onto the mattress, the weight of his body pressing into mine.
I’m breathless and needy when he pulls away long enough to tug the hoodie off over his head. He tosses it aside, biceps flexing and abs winking at me as he moves. God, he’s insanely beautiful. It makes me hyperaware of my flaws when he unbuttons my blazer and helps me remove it. His fingers hover over the buttons of my shirt, and I try to distract him by going for the zipper on his jeans again. But he pauses, and I know I’m caught.
“Kailani.” He slips his palms up beneath my shirt, lightly grazing the soft skin of my belly. “Are you trying to hide yourself from me?”
“Yes,” I admit weakly.
Can’t he see it? Can’t he see the softness on me? The rounded hips and drumstick thighs? I’m not one of those perfect Hollywood actresses. I’m not a BMA Barbie. And somewhere, in the back of my mind, I’m still afraid he’s going to figure it out. He’ll open his eyes and see me for what I truly am.
“You still don’t get it, do you?” He cocks his head to the side, frustrated.
“What?”
He makes slow, leisurely work of unbuttoning my shirt, then spreading it apart as heat swirls in his eyes. When he splays his palms across my stomach, it caves in, and he dips his head to kiss the softness there.
“This is what makes you human.” His lips brush against me. “I want you exactly as you are. Soft, feminine, beautiful. These curves are my addiction. So, please, for the love of God, let me worship them.”
Something melts inside me, and I nod without a second thought. “Okay.”
“Okay.” He drags his body up mine, thrusting his hips against my panties. “Just in case you forget what you do to me, here’s a reminder. And I’ll keep giving them to you every chance I get.”
His dark growly words trigger the animal in me. I arch into him, and he resumes operation get me naked. Buttons slide, zippers untether, pieces of clothing rain down from the bed. One by one until we’re both skin on skin. I curl my fingers into his hair and pull him to my lips as my heart beats a wild staccato in time to my new favorite song.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Landon’s heart plays the same tune.
“I love you.” My words land squarely against his lips.
He freezes and pulls back to look at me. Uncertainty lingers in the depths of his eyes like he isn’t quite sure he heard me correctly. The warring want and pain on his face makes the edges of my eyes blurry. Hasn’t anyone ever told him they love him before?
“Landon.” I squeeze his face in my palms, my words laced with an intensity I don’t recognize. “I surrender, okay? We have to be on the same team no matter what. I love you too much to lose you for one more second.”
He closes his eyes and shudders, and I swear I can feel it. The wall inside him just detonated, exploding dust and debris all over the desolate landscape of his barren heart. It’s been dead inside for so long, but there’s new life now. Possibilities.
He buries his face into my neck, his body shaking a silent release of emotions. I have a feeling he’s been waiting forever for this, so I tell him over and over again. Stroking his hair. Kissing his throat. Touching him everywhere I can reach. I love you. I love you. I love you.
He drags me into an upright position and settles me onto his lap. His eyes are blazing with an intensity I’ve never seen in them. Like he’s determined, and this is it. This is our only existence now. It feels true.
“I love you too, my little pineapple. More than you could ever know.”
I scrape my fingers over his broad shoulders and cling to him. He nudges his erection into me, and we come together. A slow slide of silk and heat. I collapse into his chest as he cups my ass, using his palms to guide me up and down his length. Our lips move together, and our