Page 295 of Ignite

He thrusts deep, grinding against me, drawing out every trembling aftershock.

“Fuck, Hallie.” His breath hitches, and I feel him spill inside me, warmth flooding deep as he growls my name against my neck.

For a long moment, all I hear is the wind in the trees and our ragged breaths.

He eases out, unties my wrists, and turns me in his arms.

He kisses my tear-slicked cheeks, then crashes his mouth over mine.

“You okay?” he whispers.

I nod, too exhausted to speak.

He smooths my hair back, resting his forehead on mine.

“Good. Because the night isn’t over yet, trouble.”

He grins as he slides my panties back up and adjusts my dress. I yelp when he scoops me into his arms.

“Conan—what are you up to?”

“Getting you cleaned up so you can marry me again. This time in front of our friends and family.”

“What?” My eyes fill with tears.

“You deserve the best, darlin’. And as special as it was getting married by a priest who fancied me, we both know I can do better.”

“You’re incredible, beastie. You know that?”

He smiles, kissing me softly. And the moment our lips meet, those same sparks ignite inside me, like they always have.

This man would do anything for me.

He’d burn the world to keep me safe.

He’d chase me to the ends of it.

And no matter how dark or chaotic life becomes, all he cares about is making me smile.

That’s how I know it’s real—the kind of love people spend lifetimes searching for.

Because he isn’t the villain in my story. He’s the storm that washed all the pain away.

Conan Quinn didn’t just spark something in me—he struck a match and set my soul on fire.

I started breathing again the moment our lips touched.

He set me free and claimed me in the same heartbeat.

I’m exactly where I’m meant to be—wrapped in this man’s arms, ready to watch him become the kind of father every child deserves.

We both spent too many years hiding in the shadows, letting grief rot us from the inside out.

It’s as if we were destined to drag each other into the light.

And for the first time, we don’t just get to survive.

We get to live.

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