“I’m gonna hold on to my self-control as long as I fucking can. And when I can’t…”She held her breath until her lungs burned, but he didn’t elaborate. “When you can’t? What happens then?”His mouth brushed the sensitive spot where her neck joined her shoulder. Teeth grazed her skin. “Then Lord have mercy on you, Lexie love. Because I won’t.”

“He knows what’s his.”Lex’s knees went weak. “Do you know, Dallas?”“Every fucking thing I see,” he replied, close enough for his breath to stir the hair at her temple. “But you most of all. You above everyone.”

“Physical pleasure was a fucking beautiful thing, but it was fleeting. The thrill of having her curl trustingly against his chest as he lifted her from the bed would linger. Maybe even forever.”

“I’ve always loved you.” A shudder worked through him, and he pulled her closer. “I’ve always wanted you. They don’t have a word for how much I need you. Everything good I am, everything good I’ve ever done…it’s all you. You make me a king. Without you, I’m just another psychotic thug.”

“I can’t do this without you. I can’t be Dallas without Lex.”

“What can I say. We like our women only mostly tamed. Where’s the fun in a woman who’d never stab you just a little, if you pissed her off bad enough?”

“She was sated and relaxed, which was quickly becoming his favourite look on her. Her sleep y smile wasn’t meant to charm or soothe him. It wasn’t a mask. This was Lex, stripped of all that bullshit she’d learned in Two. Not trying to be anyone’s fantasy.It made her his.”