Page 181 of The Temporary Fiancée
“I’m addicted to you,” I murmur against her throat. “There’s no way I could ever live without you.”
“I feel the same way.” Olivia’s whisper grazes against my neck. Her lips flutter over my jawline. A chill of desire jogs through my bones.
“I love you so fucking much, baby,” I growl against her mouth, hovering over her, hugging her possessively, my arms unwilling to release her.
Her kisses are soft and delicate, sending a tremor through me. Her fingers blaze across my back, leaving a thrilling heat that lingers on my skin. I shudder with arousal.
She lays beneath me, and when I hear the crack in her voice when she tells me she loves me too, I lift myself up and gaze down at her. Her eyes are deep wells. Tears track down her face, rolling off her chin.
“Baby,” I whisper, my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach. “What’s wrong?”
“Tell me again.” Her chin quivers, cleaving my heart. I stroke her hair and brush my thumb across her cheeks to wipe the tears away.
“Tell you what, baby?”
Another set of tears spills from her eyes. “That you love me.”
I feel the tension drain out of my shoulders when she says that. I clasp my fingers with hers and sink my mouth down to meet with her lips.
I whisper against her mouth. “I love you so much, Olivia. You’re the most important person in the world to me. I would be nothing, completely lost without you. I’m hopelessly, ridiculously in love with you.”
As I chant this mantra to her, in between words, I kiss her lips, her face, her nose, her forehead, the hollow of her throat. I shower her with kisses, raining them down on her because she deserves them. She deserves the whole world and I intend to give it to her.
Olivia’s eyes are vulnerable as she looks up at me, seeking the validation of my words and that I earnestly mean them. I want her to know she’s safe with me.
“I’m so sorry about everything,” I tell her.
She chews her bottom lip to keep it from trembling and swipes at her damp face with the back of her hand. She lets out a long and shaky breath. “It’s not all your fault, Reed. We both made mistakes.”
I feel my features harden into stoic resolve. “I will never make another mistake when it comes to you. I know what I want. What Ineed. When it comes to you, Liv, it’s about survival, and I can’t survive without you.”
Her face melts into bliss and she swings her arms around my neck, hauling me closer to her, where our lips lock again.
“Thank you,” Olivia whispers in a cracking voice. “You are saying all the words I need to hear right now.”
“I know, baby. You have no idea how much I love you. You’re so sweet. You have a beautiful soul. You have such a kind heart. I love the way you dance to music while you’re knitting, the fluffy socks you make and wear as you slide around the house. I love your sticky notes.”
Olivia tilts her head to the ceiling and laughs. The sound is light and dreamy, like a sunrise. “I can’t believe you kept all the sticky notes I wrote to you.”
I take her chin in my hands and tip her head back down. She meets my gaze. “OfcourseI kept the notes. Why would I ever throw away something so special. These things mean something to me. They have sentimental value.”
Olivia’s eyes skip across my face, and she lifts her head to give me a delicate kiss. Her tongue moves in my mouth, gliding across my teeth, massaging against my tongue.
She lets out a soft moan, and I’m ready to snap. I need her now more than I ever have before. The sensual gaze in her eyes makes me unhinged with lust.
“Reed?” Her eyebrows arch, and she plants her palm on the side of my face. Her hand is warm and tender.
“Yes?” My hammering heart takes a brief pause while the world stills around me.
“I love you so much too.” Her eyes hold on mine, and the raw emotion of the moment takes root inside me, spreading through my chest. Her love is a vine, attaching itself to me, bonding us forever.
I feel that fierce link when I look into her eyes and see the affection shimmering back at me. My lips crush against hers. My hands are needy as they skim through her hair. I can’t stop kissing her. It will never be enough. A tide of desire washes over me.
“I was so scared,” I murmur against her mouth.
She tilts her head and gazes at me. “About what?”
I swallow hard. “About losing you.”
