Page 97 of The Scout

The world burned around us, the sirens screamed, but all I could see was him.

Will lingered for only a moment before exhalingsharply and stepping away, running a hand through his damp hair. His gaze swept over the chaos, his expression hardening as he turned toward the men moving along the shoreline, already falling into conversation with one of Ryker’s brothers. He was focused on something else now—debriefing, securing the scene, making sense of what had just happened.

He didn’t see the way Ryker pulled me closer.

Didn’t notice the way my fingers curled into his soaked shirt, the way my breath caught as his thumb brushed against my cheekbone.

Didn’t see the way Ryker looked at me—like I was the only thing that mattered.

And for now, maybe that was for the best.

Ryker’s dark eyes roamed my face like he was searching for proof that I was real. Thatwewere real.

I wasn’t the one who spoke first.

He was.

“I promised you.”

My chest caved.

A sob, a breath, a laugh—I didn’t know what sound escaped me, only that I couldn’t hold it in. I surged up, capturing his mouth in a desperate, searing kiss, pouring every ounce of relief, every shredded emotion into him.

His response was immediate.

Fierce. Overpowering.

He lifted me, my legs locking around his waist, his hands anchoring me against him, his grip bruising and possessive andperfect.He kissed me like he was still claiming me, like he hadn’t just survived a goddamn explosion, like he wasn’t even remotely concerned about the dozens of people watching us.

“I fucking love you,” I breathed against his lips, myfingers tangling in his hair, my body trembling against his. “I love you, Ryker Dane.”

His entire body tensed.

And then?—

“Say it again.”

I cupped his jaw, holding his gaze, letting him see the truth in my eyes. “I love you.”

Something inside him shattered.

His lips crashed against mine again, a growl vibrating in his chest, and when he finally pulled back, his hands gripped my face, his forehead pressing to mine.

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving you’re right,” he murmured.

The world could have ended right then, and I wouldn’t have cared.

He was alive.

They both were.

And no matter what came next, no matter what war was still brewing in the shadows?—

This moment belonged to us.

32

RYKER

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