“We can handle it,” he whispered in her ear.
“No.”
“Makenna…”
“No.”
“I love you.”
“No!” she shouted, shoving him hard. Her push barely nudged him a few inches back.
“I love—”
“No!” she whispered in a desperate plea. Her hand landed on his mouth while tears coursed down her face. “Please don’t say it. Please.” Her eyes were closed, and her head shook back and forth. “No.” This time her voice cracked.
Thunder circled her wrist and peeled her hand away then anchored it to the door above her head. “I love you,” he said again.
Instantly the other hand pressed to his mouth.
“No.” Her voice grew weaker with each denial.
He kissed her palm before joining this hand with her other. “I love you.”
“Thunder…you can’t love me. I’m a mess.” Her eyes opened. “I’ve already fucked this up by not telling you I was still married. I’m a guardian to a bunch of kids. I have no money. My sister is in the hospital. My father and husband are after us. And then there’s the CDM—” She sucked in a sharp breath.
He shifted her wrists to one hand then used the other to circle her throat much as he’d done the first time they’d fucked. Mak’s watery eyes stared into his, but the panicky outburst ceased.
The tears still fell, but slower.
He kissed her then, soft and seeking. Her mouth stayed firm for a few long seconds, but she softened under him and parted her lips. A tiny whimper left her when his tongue met hers. After kissing until his dick was an iron beam in his jeans, he drew back. “I love you,” he said, looking her in the eye.
“I-I love you too. Damn you, Thunder, I love you so much.”
Fuck, those words. Words he’d never imagined he’d hear from a woman. Hell, he’d never wanted them and now couldn’t imagine another day passing without hearing it a dozen times. “That’s better.”
“But—”
“No,” he said, giving her neck a gentle squeeze. He swore she thrust her pelvis into him as though seeking his dick each time he did that. “No buts. Kara is safe and monitored round the clock. The rest of the kids are safe. Copper took them to the clubhouse. You are safe. Right here and right now, the only thing you are allowed to think about is us.”
She nodded, her soft neck flexing beneath his fingers.
“Here’s how this is gonna go. Since it seems to be the only way to get you out of your head, I’m gonna fuck your brains out right here against the door.”
Her breath hitched, and he swore her eyes darkened with need.
“Then, we’re gonna grab your bags and head to the clubhouse to meet with my brothers and come up with a plan to get rid of the motherfuckers hunting you.”
When she bit her lower lip, he knew she wanted to argue, but she kept it in.
“Two rules. One: you will not run. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. And two: you will not argue with any plan we come up with.” As he spoke, he stroked the pulse point now rapidly fluttering in her neck. Goosebumps erupted under his fingers, and she shivered with each upstroke of his thumb. “You with me so far?”
As she nodded, she squirmed beneath his hold. He made sure to keep the grip on her hands light enough to avoid damaging her delicate skin but firm enough to remind her who had control at the moment. The way she wiggled indicated her need was growing.
Christ, his dick was hard and needed inside her in the next few moments.
“Then when we’ve dealt with the problem of your family, you and I are gonna start something for real this time. Something where we fall asleep together at night and wake up together. Something where you allow me to share your responsibilities and burdens. I want us to be a team, Mak. You don’t have to do it all alone anymore.”
“Thunder,” she whispered.
“Nuh-uh. Forget all the challenges, and the bullshit, and the fears. Just tell me if you want it, too. If you want me, too.” With a soft kick, he nudged her legs apart then pressed his thigh to her mound.
A soft whimper left her. Without an ounce of shame, she began to grind her hips against him with slow rocks. “I want it, Thunder. I need it…so bad.”
Her words washed over his soul, bringing him a combination of peace and anticipation that shouldn’t have been possible. How could he simultaneously feel so settled and excited? He wanted to give Makenna the world. Wanted her happiness over his own. And that’s when he understood without a doubt this would work between them. They both cared about the other above themselves. It’s why the relationships he’d witnessed growing up didn’t work. It’s why the women who paid to be with him in recent years would never be content in their marriages. They were selfish and not truly in love.