Fuck.

Her palms were flat on the table, holding her torso upright, and her back was arched. I stared in awe at her posture in front of me as she took more control and backed into me as I slammed inside of her.

Tate. Hell, yes.

Every second, the pace and pressure increased, and goddamn, she was wet. I held her hips, wishing like hell I could get my hands everywhere, but I needed to hold on. She was pushing harder and harder into me.

As always, Tate found a way to f**k me back.

Such a handful.

I leaned down into her back, keeping my pace steady, and cupped one of her br**sts, wanting one in my mouth.

Kissing her neck, I pressed my tongue to her, tasting her salty skin. My hand glided over her stomach and then dived between her legs where my fingers circled her cl*t again. God, it was so hard now. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and feel every shake and spasm as she came apart in my arms. I wanted to be inside her head and body, knowing what it felt like when I made her f**king crumble.

“Jared. It feels so good,” she whimpered unsteadily as our bodies slammed together time and again.

“Yeah, it does,” I breathed in her ear. “Because it’s yours and mine, and no one takes this from us.”

Not even me.

She was mine, and this perfect thing between us was never going to be ruined again.

“Jared!” She threw her head back and screamed. “Oh, God….”

“I love you, Tate.” I pounded into her harder. “Come for me.”

And she stopped breathing and crumbled, coming like the thunder outside the house as she cried out, tightening around me and sending me over the goddamn edge, too.

Jesus Christ!

Fire and pleasure poured through my body, and I came right after her, collapsing on her back as we both fell back down to the table…and Earth.

We lay there panting, too spent to even move. At least for me.

“I really hate you.” Her voice was weak but had an edge that told me she was joking.

“Why?”

“The massage, the oral, the kissing, the talk…I don’t think I needed to know that you did that with other girls, after all.”

“I didn’t,” I said right away.

“What?”

“I never did any of that with any other girl.” I lifted my head up and looked down at her.

She tried popping up, too, arguing. “But…but I told you to tell me—”

“You wanted to know what other girls got of me. Well, that’s what they didn’t get.” My voice was firm but soft. I needed her to hear me. “I never touched their bodies like that or held them. I never cared about them enjoying it. They didn’t get any part of me worth having, Tate. Especially, K.C. I never touched her like this.” I stroked her hair. “You own me body and soul, and everyone is going to know it. Sometimes I’m going to go slow with you, and sometimes I’m going to f**k you. But it will always be love, Tate.”

Always has been. And always will.

Chapter 33

I didn’t know if she believed me, so I just waited, worried like hell that she didn’t feel how much I ached for her.

Holding herself up by her hands, she arched back up to meet me and sniffled.

Shit. I swallowed.

She was crying.

“I love you,” she whispered, turning around.

Her face was falling apart. She was holding back more tears than she was letting out.

Grabbing onto both sides of her face, I pulled her into me. “I don’t deserve it, but I will. I promise.”

Her small, sweet smile and hooded eyes were so exhausted that I was afraid to let go of her as I pulled out.

“Ow,” she whispered, sucking in her breath through her teeth.

“Yeah.” I placed my hands on her hips, supporting her. “Ease down. You’re going to be sore.”

“I already am.”

“Stay here,” I told her, handing her a towel and wrapping the other one around my waist. “I’ll go run the shower and come back down to get you.”

“I can make it upstairs,” she laughed.

“Stay.” And I walked off.

After running the water and checking the temperature, I ran down and picked Tate up in my arms.

“So I guess the birthday spankings are out,” I joked as I carried her upstairs.

She rolled her eyes. “What is it with guys? Madoc already offered at school yesterday.”

“He did what?” I halted at the top of the stairs.

She wound her arms tighter around my neck and leaned in, taking my earlobe between her teeth.

I let out a hard breath, and Madoc was forgotten.

“The water should be good.” I pulled back the curtain and set her down in the tub.

“Turn on the shower part,” she said sleepily, sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees. “It sounds like rain.”

I pulled out the knob, watching the water spray down on her legs, and then I yanked off my towel to climb in behind her.

Sitting down, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back against my chest.

“You know,” I spoke in her ear. “I stayed in your room for a month while you were away.”

“What?” She twisted her head towards me, and I hugged her close.

I didn’t know what it was, but all of a sudden I wanted her to know everything.

“When I got into trouble, and my mom left to get sober, your dad took me in. Set me straight again. Well, straighter, anyway. I slept on your floor.”