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“I’m yours,” I replied, knowing exactly what he wanted me to say.

He tilted his head to the side and looked to my lips. “Say it again.”

“I’m yours, Riggs. All yours,” I said, pushing myself up onto my tiptoes and kissing his lips as if it was what I needed to survive.

I gripped his shirt tightly in my hands to keep him there, and he gripped fistfuls of my hair at each side of my head to assure me he wasn’t letting go.

Not yet.

Our tongues moved against each other, twirling and dancing in a sensual way. In a way I never had imagined was possible but it filled my heart with so much love.

A low growl made his chest vibrate, and he slowly pulled back, giving me one last kiss before looking back into my eyes.

“Rest. I’ll call you,” he promised.

I nodded and stepped back to let him adjust his clothes once again before he unlocked the door and left me standing there.

My heart was pounding in my chest, my knees still shaking, and when he was out of sight, I finally took a deep breath to come back down to earth.

He didn’t leave me standing there feeling empty, though my mind still needed time to get back to how it was before.

I couldn’t think straight, but I did know one thing…

Riggs is my man, and I would fight for us against no matter who’d stand in our way.

30

Riggs had made a quick escape after leaving my room last night, because when I walked downstairs into the kitchen the next morning, Dad asked me if he had said goodbye to me.

He must’ve left without showing his face again after our time together.

Della was standing by the stove, cooking some eggs and bacon while Dad and I waited, me tapping my fingers on the counter and trying my best not to make things awkward.

Clearly, Della’s thoughts were probably all over the place, wondering if she had seen correctly last night.

“You two are awfully quiet this morning,” Dad said, placing his hand on my lower back and grabbing his cup of coffee with the other.

“Oh, I’m still tired. I was up late last night,” I told him.

“Why? Couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah, there were a few things keeping me up and not letting me sleep. Uh, school stuff,” I lied.

“Do you need help with anything? I know Riggs’s brother left town but I’m sure I can find someone else who can help you,” he suggested.

“No, that’s fine. It’s an assignment I’m writing. Not really something anyone can help me with.”

Della turned with the bacon and eggs on a plate, but she avoided eye-contact with me.

“Everything okay, darling?” he asked her, but she simply nodded and passed us to get to the dining room.

“Breakfast’s ready,” she announced, sitting down and immediately grabbing a piece of toast and smearing butter on it.

I smiled up at Dad to assure him everything’s fine, then we sat down and started eating as well.

“Anything fun planned for today?” Dad asked.

“Not really. I might ask Kennedy if she wants to come over if that’s okay.”

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