Page 142 of Golden Ruin

“Sterling Golden, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”

She’s being cute and clearly teasing, but she isn’t wrong.

I nod, focusing on her lips for a moment. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Her smile grows, and when she pulls me down to kiss her, a groan rumbles from deep inside my chest.

“Then, it’s a yes,” she says, turning to kiss my arm.

I stare down at her in awe, wondering how I could’ve ever been so reckless that I lost her, how I could’ve ever been so stupid to think I could do life without her.

She nips my bottom lip and squirms beneath me, wanting this as much as I do. So, I push inside her, deep, watching her head fall back as she sucks in a breath. We fuck like we’re carefree college kids again, because that’s exactly how she makes me feel.

Wild, free… hopelessly in love.

I’m obsessed watching her come for me, gripping my shoulders as she whimpers a little too loudly. The sound of her falling apart does it for me, and I’m coming before she finishes, feeling like my heart’s about to beat out of my chest.

I kiss her forehead as she pants, and beads of sweat glisten on her chest in the firelight.

“I can’t believe you’re mine,” I say against her skin, kissing her collar bone. “Every fucking inch of you.”

She stops me when she grips my chin, bringing my mouth to hers. “And something tells me that’ll never stop being true.”

The thought settles somewhere deep inside me, and I hope she knows what she’s just done. Once an idea gets in my head, I’m like a dog with a bone, keeping at it until it’s mine. So, if Lexi’s getting bold, talking about forever, I’m holding her to it.

*

There are no cameras shoved in my face, no reporters, and no rumors demanding a response. There’s just the hiss of butter in a skillet, coffee brewing, and the set of warm arms wrapping around my waist.

“Morning.”

I feel her smile against my back. “Morning.”

“How’d you sleep?”

She yawns. “Hard.”

I laugh at that, resisting the urge to tell her she snored half the night. She had a tough day, so she earned it.

“You didn’t have to cook. I would’ve done it.”

“Nah, I just want you to relax. Coffee should be done.”

She doesn’t let go, so I set the spatula aside and spin in her arms to return the hug.

Last night replays in my mind, asking her to be mine, making love to her by the fire, holding her until she fell asleep in my t-shirt. The one she’s still wearing now, actually.

When she and Jax fled, she didn’t get to stop for spare clothes. Luckily, she keeps a couple extra sets in the truck for Jax, in case he gets dirty or asks for an impromptu sleepover with family. But she planned to wing it for herself, fearing what would happen if she ventured out to a store.

At the thought of what yesterday was like for her, I hug her tighter.

“You’re gonna burn the pancakes,” she says, laughing against my chest.

“It’s fine. We’ve already got plenty.”

I reach behind me and turn off the stove, then she has my full attention again.

“So, I already know we’ll get mixed reviews when we let the world know we’re officially together, but how do you think our littlest critic will react?”