“What are you doing?” Lexi asks from the zippered opening of the tent.

She looks so fucking good this morning my dick aches, the remembrance of what we did last night like a brand in my fucking marrow. Her hair is all rumpled and she has it pulled up in a messy bun. She doesn’t have a stitch of makeup on, but then Lexi never needs makeup. She’s naturally beautiful, inside and out. Her lips are bruised from our night of lovemaking, swollen, red and unbelievably sexy. I imagine them sliding down on my cock and the semi-hard-on that I’ve been sporting all morning instantly turns into a raging erection. I should be fucking worried when a woman’s lips can make my dick hard enough to drive nails into concrete. She’s not just any woman, though. She’s Lexi and she’s always owned my heart.

She’s always been mine.

“Fixing you some breakfast,” I tell her with a smile. “Come over here and give your man a kiss.”

I watch as she walks gingerly toward me. She’s obviously still sore and tender from our lovemaking last night, which I fucking like—even if that does make me a bastard. Possessiveness slams into me knowing that I claimed her, that my cock is the only one that’s ever known how hot and wet, how fucking tight she is. I’m the only one who will ever know what she feels like.

“Are you my man?” she asks, her eyes wide, and despite what we shared last night, innocent.

“Definitely, sweetheart and the only one you’ll ever have.”

“Really?”

“I’m not letting another man have you, Lexi. You’re mine now. You gave that to me last night, and I’m not letting you go.”

“I like the sound of that,” she says softly and wraps her arms around me.

“I do too, baby. I do too.”

I hold her close for a few minutes, breathing in her scent, and just let the fact that I have her in my arms soothe me. For so long, I’ve felt like there has been half of me missing. Now I realize that it’s not been the military, or any of that shit. It’s been Lexi. She’s been mine since that first kiss, I’ve just been running from it. That’s over. Brooks isn’t going to like it, but I don’t give a fuck. He can get the hell over it.

“That does smell good,” she says and I grin.

It’s a simple breakfast. Toast, eggs and bacon, but I like that I’m taking care of Lexi. I always want to do that. She deserves a man who will put her first, and I want to be that for her.

“Go back inside the tent, relax and stay warm, and I’ll bring you a plate.”

“I’d rather eat out here, around the fire,” she says, surprising me.

“You aren’t cold?”

“I’ve got my sweater on and besides, it feels good. I love the smell of the fresh air. It’s exactly why I came out here.”

“If you’re sure,” I hedge.

“I am, but you don’t have to do everything. I can help.”

“I want to take care of my girl. Is that a crime?” I ask her with a wink, putting the food on the plates.

“Beau, if you only knew how long I’ve been dying to hear you call me your girl,” she laughs as she sits down. “To be honest, it’s kind of surreal to hear you say it now.”

“Get used to it, sweetheart. I’ll be saying it often,” I tell her and hand her a plate of food. I just stare at her, unable to believe that this is reality right now. I feel good, really fucking good.

“If it’s a dream, do me a favor and don’t wake me.”

“I hope it’s a good dream at least,” I joke, suddenly jealous of the bacon she’s eating as it slips between her lips. I reach down and adjust my dick before the bastard bursts through my jeans.

“The best.”

I clear my throat and do my best to pull my gaze away from her eating. If I don’t I’m going to fuck her right here in front of the tent and I’m not sure her body is ready for that. I tried to be gentle with her last night, but she’s way too tender for what my dick is demanding.

“Not everyone will be happy about the two of us,” I tell her, tackling the one issue that is worrying me.

“You mean Brooks, don’t you?” She doesn’t state it like a question.

“Yeah, honey. He doesn’t want me with you. He’s made that clear over the years.”

She shakes her head. “That’s crazy. You’re his best friend. He has to know the kind of man you are. You’d never hurt me.” She scowls. “Besides, I’m an adult, and I know what I want.” She looks me in the eyes.

I love that Lexi only sees the best in me. I want to tell her that Brooks knows I’ve not always been the best kind of man. I’ve fucked up a lot in my life. The thing is, I was always running away from Lexi and my love for her, knowing I wasn’t what Brooks wanted for his little sister.

I don’t tell her that, however. I don’t want to dim the picture of me she has in her head. I’m going to fight like hell to live up to that image. I want to be a good man. I want to be a man that Lexi can be proud of.

“You’re his little sister, honey,” I say instead. “He’s just protecting you.”

“He’ll just have to get happy or get sad,” she grumbles and she looks so cute I laugh.

“What does that even mean?” I ask, shaking my head.

“It means that I’m not giving you up, Beau. I don’t care what Brooks or anyone else says.”

“Is that a fact?” I ask her, feeling more at ease than I’ve felt in years.

“Damn skippy,” she says as she sucks bacon grease from her fingers.

As much as I want to laugh at her use of words, my gaze is drawn to the way her lips suck on her finger. She’s not doing it to be sexy; it’s completely just Lexi being natural, and maybe that makes it even hotter.

“Sweetheart, if you don’t quit sucking on your fingers like that, we’re going to have problems,” I warn her, my voice hoarse.

“We are?” she asks, instantly stopping what she’s doing and watching me closely. “Like what?”

“Like I’m going to give you something else to suck on,” I mutter, adjusting my cock again.

Lexi puts her plate on the ground beside her and comes over to me. I don’t say anything; I just wait to see what she does. It doesn’t take long. She drops to her knees in front of me.

“Give me something else to suck on, Beau. I dare you,” she whispers, her voice thick with desire and fuck, I’m lost to her.

Completely and utterly lost.