Under Pressure(46)

Hell no, letting her go was not an option.

He had been so careful with her, wanting to show her his softer side, prove to her that he could love her gently, tenderly like she deserved, but she had challenged the beast within him and had taken everything he had to give and more. Damn it, he felt like beating a fist against his chest, letting out a war cry, and doing it all over again. Maybe it was better because he loved her, but the feeling was indescribable.

Christ, he loved her. Body, heart, and soul. She had become his world. And she had said she loved him, too. Not wanting to leave her body, he had to force himself to slowly pull out of her heat and roll her onto her back so he could see her face. He wanted, no, he needed to see the truth in her eyes.

As Jason leaned over her, gray eyes searching, he seemed wary with an uncertainty she had never seen before. There before her was hope, apprehension and a longing that took her breath away.

“Did you mean it?” Jason’s low rumble was so soft she barely heard it.

She knew what he meant. She knew she had screamed out her love for him when she came, unable to contain the words inside her as they came together in passion. Her own eyes filled with tears as she met silver swirling with emotion. Bella reached her hand up to stroke the side of Jason’s face. God help her, she loved this man with everything in her. Jason’s eyes closed briefly as he pressed his face fully into her palm before opening once again, eyes now flat, holding back the emotional storm she had seen just seconds before.

Courage, have courage.

“I love you, Jason,” Bella whispered, her voice shaking with feeling. “I love you so much it scares me.” His nostrils flared, and his gray eyes darkened with emotion. “You make me feel normal. I’m not broken with you. I can’t even begin to tell you what you mean to me. I never thought I could feel this way. I love you.”

Need sparked to life deep inside Jason. A need he didn’t know he would ever feel. Need of this woman by his side.

Forever.

“Marry me.”

Bella’s eyes went wide, her lips forming a perfect O. Jason’s jaw clenched and released. Shit, he didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that, but now that he had, there was no going back. The seconds ticked by like hours as he waited for an answer.

Bella tried to speak, swallowed, then whispered, her voice small, “Do you…do you love me?”

All of the tension he was feeling was released in a laugh. “Bloody hell, woman, I want you to marry me! Yes, I love you. I wouldn’t ask if I dinna love you, lass. Bella…” Jason struggled to find the right words. Damn it, he would do this right. He knew she needed the words and he was determined to give them to her.

“I know that this is fast, but I do love you. I love you so much I can barely breathe sometimes. I’m a hard man, but you make me feel alive again. You make me want to be a better man. I know I’m not good with telling you how I feel, but do I love you. And I won’t hesitate to tell you every day. You’ve become my world, and I don’t want to live another day without you knowing I want you for my wife. Say yes, Bella, just say yes, and I will love you for the rest of our lives.”

Bella smiled, and the tears overflowed. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Oh God, yes! Yes!” she yelled as she flung herself up at him.

Jason fell forward into her tight embrace. Like a dream, he shifted his large body, spreading her thighs wide, and slipped inside her again.

Bella’s breath caught as she felt him push deep. Her body was slick from their earlier love play, and he slid in easily, her body accepting him as if she were made just for him.

“I love you, Bella. I love you,” he repeated as he buried his face into her hair. Jason closed his eyes and enjoyed how right it felt to be with her, inside her.

She ran her hands up and down his back as he loved her so tenderly it brought tears to her eyes.

He couldn’t stop touching her, hands sliding possessively over her beautiful, lush body. He trailed kisses over her neck and settled back over her mouth, claiming hers in a heated kiss, pouring all the love and desire he felt into the connection.

He forced himself to love her slowly, with deep sensual strokes, wanting to show her just how much he loved her. He pushed deeper and deeper, wanting to fill her completely, wanted her to take all of him inside her body.

Lips met, tongues danced, breaths sighed.

He wanted it to last forever, wanted to feel her body trembling with pleasure beneath his.

He felt her muscles contract on him, squeezing his cock with exquisite pressure. “Tell me, tell me again,” he demanded. Letting out a low moan, she called his name, whispering her love, and came on a cry. Only then did he let himself go, and he emptied himself deep inside her.