“Because you’ve got me naked?” I whispered.

He pulled himself upright and kneeled before me, his eyes blazing a path down my body. “Because I’m with you.”

Our gazes met, and his expression turned tender, his lips tugging into a smile.

Despite how exhausted I was after the past few days—and how tired I looked, based on what I saw in the bathroom mirror earlier—I felt beautiful because of the way he was looking at me. Because of the way always looked at me.

Reverently.

Chase grabbed the backs of my thighs, pulling me down so I was wrapped even more tightly around his body. The only thing separating us was the single layer of his boxer briefs. Once upon a time, I would have felt self-conscious, exposed. But right now, all I felt was wanted in the best possible way.

He nuzzled my neck and drew in a slow, indulgent inhale. “Have you noticed that we fit together perfectly?”

I pressed back against the pillow and sank my fingers into his silky hair, tugging gently. He hummed quietly in response, a smile breaking out against the skin over my clavicle.

“Mm-hmm.” I nodded. “Almost like it’s a sign.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a sign.”

Chase clasped my hands in his and guided them over my head. Strong fingers handcuffed my wrists, pinning my hands to the mattress. I wriggled against his grip in mock resistance, but he didn’t give an inch.

“Red?” He eyed me, expression playful.

“Green.”

He leaned closer, and our lips came together again in a brief, chaste kiss.

“Bright green,” I added, lifting up an inch and kissing him again. “Or dark green. Whatever the greenest green is.”

Chase huffed a low, husky laugh, but then he furrowed his brow, his expression going serious. Shifting his weight, he dropped his chin and let out a cross between a growl and a sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. At all.” He shook his head and peered up at me, flashing me an utterly devastating smile. “Just have some conflicting feelings.”

“Why?”

Chase pulled my hand up to his lips, kissing my fingertips. “Because on the one hand, I want to take my time with you.” He grinned, sinking the softest of bites into my index finger. “But I also want to bend you over and fuck you into the mattress.”

I could see his dilemma—both of those options sounded highly appealing. Part of me wanted him to go slow, to be loving and gentle. The other part wanted to be claimed, taken, his.

“I vote both.”

“Yeah?” His eyes danced.

“Yeah.” My voice turned breathy. “Definitely both.”

“We do have all night.”