Page 82 of Ciaran

I press my lips to his cheek. “I’m going nowhere. Never again. You’re all I want, and all I’ll ever want. You make me feel so safe, so cherished, so precious.” I giggle. “And you give the best goddamn orgasms.”

He laughs, but his amusement doesn’t last long. “Mia?”

His voice is tentative, and I know the time has come. He wants to talk about our time apart.

“What happened in Chicago?”

I lean up on my elbow and press the palm of my hand to his chest. “The first thing you need to know is that he never touched me—not in a sexual way.”

His whole body relaxes, and his lips brush my temple. “I’m so glad you didn’t have to go through that.”

“I don’t think he knew what to do with me. I didn’t cower like before. I stood up to him, refused to let his moods or his words affect me in any way. He went missing for two days. The night he came back, he got blind drunk, then you… you came.” I omit telling him how Tanner grabbed my hair and that I’d slept with a knife under my pillow. He wouldn’t take it well. There’s no point in causing him further pain.

His warm hand strokes my back. “I’m so proud of you.”

I rest my head on his chest, my gaze fixed on his face. I want to gauge his reaction when I ask the next question. “What did you do to him when Draven took me to the car?”

His eyes harden. Beneath the warm, kind exterior lies a spine of steel. That trait in him is what makes him such an excellent cop, a wonderful protector, and my perfect guy.

“Not nearly as much as he deserved. I wanted to kill him for what he put you through.”

“Do you think we’ll ever hear from him again?” I can’t stop an involuntary shudder racking my body.

Ciaran fiddles with a lock of my hair. “I doubt it. But if we do, I promise you this: he won’t get within a mile of you, and I will make him sorrier than he can possibly imagine.”

His lips touch mine in a brief kiss that doesn’t stay brief for long. I sink into his embrace, losing myself to his touch.

I’m the luckiest damn girl in the world.

Epilogue

Ciaran

Eighteen months later…

Mia comes dashing toward me, her coffee-colored hair flying behind her, and hands waving madly in the air.

“School’s out for summer!” she yells, her pride at having finished the first year of her undergrad degree written all over her face. It’s a major milestone for her, and every day that passes, she transforms into the enthusiastic, positive, idealistic girl she’d been as a teenager. She still goes to see her therapist, although the frequency has reduced to once a month, and I have a feeling she’ll drop the sessions all together in the not too distant future.

I swing her up into my arms and twirl her around. It isn’t long before my mouth comes down on hers, and I kiss her, hard. Other students stream past, all looking forward to the summer ahead, full of picnics in the park, bike rides, and long sunny evenings. A couple whistle at our affectionate display.

When I put her down, she purses her lips. “I’m not sure how much I like you coming to meet me in your cop uniform. The girls at college are already fangirling all over you. They don’t need any encouragement, and I don’t need the pit of envy that’s circling in my stomach right now.”

I grin, kissing the tip of her nose. “Only got eyes for you, beautiful.”

Her pout turns into a satisfied smile. “Good. Best keep it that way, mister.”

I sling an arm around her shoulders, and we set off for the subway. “I’ve got something I need to discuss when we get home.”

Mia cranes her neck and looks up at me, a twinge of anxiety darkening her features. She still worries far too much, pre-programmed to expect the worst even when she hopes for the best. “Oh, yeah?”

I squeeze her against my side. “It’s good news… I think.”

“Tell me now. I hate waiting.”

I laugh. “No.”

She sticks out her tongue. “I actually have some news of my own to share, but maybe I’ll make you wait a little longer now.”

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