Chapter Twenty-five

JAMESON

" A re you sure you can handle us?" I ask breathlessly, barely daring to hope. While I desperately want to snatch her up and claim her, I refuse to take advantage of her good heart.

She needs to know the truth.

"Jace and I are just as obsessive as our father." It's the only warning I can give her, and the confession is torn from my dark soul. "Once you say you're ours, we're never letting you go."

I still, giving her one last chance to escape the crazy. I don't even dare to breathe as I wait for her to balk, and if she's smart, she will run as fast as her gorgeous legs could carry her.

Only, I fear it's much too late.

Her fate is sealed.

If she runs, I will follow her to the ends of the earth. She's imprinted on my soul, and I have no intention of letting her go.

I can't.

Without her, I'll lose my last hold on my sanity.

Leaning down, I get right in her face, my mood darkening as I whisper my deepest, darkest secret to her. "As much as I try to keep it hidden, I'm not exactly sane anymore. Without total control, my crazy is hard to keep contained. It slips out every once in a while."

Rue gazes up at me with her bewitching teal eyes, her expression never changing at my confession, then she does the one thing that seals her fate—she reaches up and cups my face, brushing her fingers lightly along my cheek. "Sanity is totally overrated."

Splat.

That's the sound of my heart dropping at her feet, hers to do with as she wants.

"No take-backsies," I whisper, fierce determination filling me. I seal my lips over hers, ravaging her mouth the way I've wanted since I first saw her, not giving her a chance to change her mind. I slip my hands into her hair, cradling her like she's the most precious thing in the world, because she most definitely fucking is.

Instead of fighting me, she kisses me back just as ferociously, and I moan into her mouth. Consent is a big thing to me. If she fought me, I would have released her instantly, even if it killed me, but apparently, she likes being mauled in public.

Her taste is so addicting that I can't get close enough. Being near her calms my demons, the peace unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

My own little piece of heaven in one beautiful woman.

Her stomach releases a fierce growl, and I reluctantly pull back. Her beautiful full lips are swollen from my kiss, and I can't resist leaning forward to nip them once more. I shake my head to rid it of the spell she placed on me and straighten to my full height to glare down at her. "Stop trying to distract me, woman. Why didn't you tell me you were hungry?"

I wince when it comes out as more of an accusation than a question. The need to feed her is like a compulsion, and I grab her hand and march her toward the deli. "Come, we have a picnic to attend."

Pookie is about to be the most spoiled woman in the world, and my chest puffs up at being the one to fulfill her every whim, even the ones she doesn't know she has yet. Instead of reprimanding me, her laughter trails behind us. My heart does a little twirl and dance in my chest at the sound, and I squish her tighter against my side, my own smile breaking free.

My pookie is fucking perfect.

As I place the order for a picnic, selecting nearly everything on the menu for her to try, Rue texts the guys the location of the park near the pond. I also order a bag of bird food, something most stores near the park sell, imagining her reaction to feeding the ducks that flock to the large, man-made lake.

It doesn't take long for the food to be ready, and we walk toward the park. Whenever anyone looks at my pookie for too long, I glare at them. More than one person scrambles away, nearly running into traffic to cross to the opposite side of the road.

I spot the guys waiting by the lake and scowl that my time alone with Rue has come to an end, then I sigh. As much as I might want to hog her attention all day, she belongs to all of us.

No, if we want to make this work, then I have to share.

I kick a rock at my feet as I pout, struggling with my sudden need for violence.

Rue squeezes my hand and smiles, and my bad mood vanishes. "You okay? Do the crowds bother you?"

The fist around my heart eases that she would notice. Most people see my grin and don't give a fuck to dig deeper. My smile turns genuine as I gaze down at her, and a weird warmth fills my chest when she beams back. "I'm good now."

I tighten my hand around hers and vow to be on my best behavior. The last thing I want is to cause trouble when she's out with us.

I want to prove to her and the others that I can be good.

That I deserve her just as much as them.