Page 120 of Out Of A Fix

“But you have us now. You have a family now, so you aren’t allowed to take stupid chances,” he said into the hollow of my throat, his breath warm on my chilled skin. “We don’t work without you. If we lose you, we won’t recover.”

“Don’t say that,” I said in a gruff whisper. “I have to know that you will all⁠—”

“No,” he murmured, his breath choppy. “Without you, our family doesn’t work. So from now on, you keep that in mind all the time.”

“Luke—”

“All the time,” he ground out, his jaw clenching tight as he stared into my eyes. “You belong with us, with me. You’re mine, Nash Miller, and you need to fuckin’ act like it from right fuckin’ now.” He had dredged the words up from his heart, and that was absolutely evident from the darkness in his beautiful long-lashed eyes to the muscle working in his jaw. “I’m done with you second-guessing me, do you understand?”

I nodded.

“I cannot, and will not, be without you. I knew that before you went out the front door, but now it’s settled in my heart.”

I bent and kissed him because I needed the closeness and he needed to know, even though there was a lump in my throat that I couldn’t speak around, that I felt the same.

My hand went to the side of his neck, and I held him tight, not allowing any movement, showing him that he belonged to me too and how possessive I would be. I wasn’t expecting the whimper or the deep, needy moan. When he parted his lips, I ground my mouth down over his, sucking on his tongue, feeling the ache, sharp and demanding, to throw him down on his bed and devour him. He was mine, after all, so my lizard brain was ready to claim him.

Breaking the kiss, letting him go, I took several steps back and pointed at the closed door to his room. “You go out there,” I insisted. “Now.”

His lips were a deep wine, and his grin, lazy and sexy, made my stomach flip over. When he took a step forward, I took one back.

“I—”

“Yes?” he asked playfully, his eyes, all that blue, locked on me.

What was I saying?

His laugh was evil as he advanced on me.

“No,” I croaked, sounding ridiculous, nervous like I never was. “You have to go out there. Everyone is waiting.”

“Kiss me again, and then I’ll go.”

I scoffed.

“You know, Nash, I’ve never been kissed like you kiss me. It’s so hard and rough and claiming, it’s like being mauled, and I fuckin’ love it.”

I cleared my throat. “If I kiss you again, you’re not getting out of this room.”

His brows lifted like that idea had merit.

“Are you kidding?” I growled at him. “Get out.”

He coughed, and his eyes dropped from my face to my dick, which was lewdly tenting the towel, making me look like some horny teenager. “I don’t think you want me to get out.”

I crossed my arms. “You know I want you. That has never been in question. But your parents and the kids are waiting to hear what happened when I ran outta here.”

“Which you will never do again.”

“Which I one hundred percent will do again,” I vowed to him. “I will always eliminate any threat to my family. I could never⁠—”

“Your family,” he husked. “Yours.”

What had I said? I was too raw and tired, not to mention completely turned on, to have any kind of coherent conversation with him. I needed to climb the stairs up to the attic and go to sleep.

“I’ll go, but you are not sleeping anywhere but here with me,” he said, licking his lips, staring at me like he was starving. “Promise me.”

“Your family isn’t ready for⁠—”