Love. She loved him. It was a ridiculous messy complicated thing to do and he wasn't going to say it back, was he? It would be weakness like he'd never shown before, Did she want him to stop? She had to know the ridiculousness of that happening. This was who he was. But god help him she was in it, she'd found her way from a fun little project to someone he'd actually gone and let inside and dangerous as it was having her there. Well, she'd never hindered him in doing what he did. And she'd tried not to feel what she felt as much as he had, as much as he still did sometimes.
She repeated the words and he nodded just once, letting his hand move from its grip. "You know words like that don't get taken back. You've said it, so you're in. Long haul, no matter what, no matter how this ends, you're with me because you love me, and I let you because..."
God, how did people do this? Say this? It wasn't natural. It was dangerous, so dangerous. He said that, it made Emma a weapon to be used against him. And he knew exactly how easy it was to do. "Saying it Emma, you know what that means, for you, for me. For everything I have to do. They will come at you, they will use you. They would hurt you because it would hurt me. And if I say it, it means that any attack on you would hurt me. And its so dangerous. You have no idea how easily exploitable love is. The things people do for love darling, the things people do for this stupid, biological...thing. But I'm not just...I'm not saying this because I don't. I think I do. I think I actually love you and isn't that just weird!"
He finally looked away from her, laughing more than anything, he didn't know where to go from here. So exposed, so dammed exposed. It was the most ridiculous thing, and no, not safe. Not at all safe. "Can I just drag you to the bedroom now, fairytale, all the feelings out in the open I just need..." If he was honest, control. He just needed control back, because with words, just words, she'd managed to completely undo him. With an almost frantic desperation in the movement he wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her toward him to kiss her. "The things you do to me Emma Swan."