She goes still for one long moment, and then she’s kissing me back with all the energy she put into plotting my parents’ demise. Like she has a thousand things to tell me that she knows I don’t want to hear, so she’ll convey them with her tongue and lips and teeth instead.

I prefer it this way.

There’s no time to worry about this being a mistake or what happens next. I can’t even blame tequila or anger. There’s just me and Monroe and this kiss.

She laughs against my mouth and pulls away a little bit. “I should offer to kill people on your behalf more often if this is the response I get.”

“Monroe?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.” I dig my hands into her hair and kiss her again, toppling her back to the bed. She goes willingly. We land in a tangle of limbs, and I’ve never regretted putting on clothing so much. I want to be skin to skin. There’s nothing to hide any longer. She’s seen the scars, she’s heard the story, and she still desires me. I don’t have to worry about making sure the lights are off before we go farther because there’s nothing to hide.

The realization leaves me giddy and a bit drunk off the knowledge.

I sit back on my heels between her spread thighs and look at her. She’s rumpled, and her oversized shirt is bunched up around her waist, leaving her lacy white panties on display. They’re sexy, but I suspect Monroe could be wearing a paper bag and covered in a weeks’ worth of dirt and still be sexy. It’s just her.

I slide my hands up her toned thighs and hook the sides of her panties. “I’m taking these off.”

“Please do.”

The urge to rush nearly overwhelms me, but I force myself to go slow, tugging the fabric down an inch at a time, easing it over her hips. She has to move her legs for me to get them down farther, and she does without hesitation, pressing them together. I take advantage, pushing her legs up toward her chest. I leave her panties midway up her thighs, my attention on her bared pussy. She’s perfect here, too. Of course she is. She’s Monroe.

“Shiloh.” She sounds out of breath. “Let me take them off.”

“In a moment.” I wrap my fist around the fabric, forcing her legs tighter together and using the hold to press them up until she’s basically bent in half. Then I drag a single finger down her slit. She’s soaked, but then I knew she would be. She just came while I was in the shower, after all.