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"Dead serious." I lock my eyes on hers, making sure she sees the truth in them. "I love you, Lori. I’ve been searching for you ever since you ran from me."
Her lower lip trembles. “But I thought…”
“I know what you thought, but, honey, you’ve got it all wrong. I never for a moment regretted that night with you. I was worried that I was taking advantage of you in a moment of vulnerability. You’d know that if you’d stayed.”
She looks down, accepting my silent reprimand.
"Love," she repeats, tasting the word like it's a new flavor she's never tried before. The corners of her mouth lift in a tentative smile as she peeks up at me, and hope surges through me.
"Love," I confirm, my heart hammering against my ribs like it wants to break free. "And I swear on everything I am, I'll protect you with every breath in my body. No one will ever hurt you again, not while I'm around."
"Promise?" Her voice is soft but earnest, seeking a lifeline in the midst of the storm.
"Promise." I reach out, brushing a stray lock of jet-black hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering on the warmth of her skin. "I'll be your shield, your safe place, your whatever-you-need-me-to-be. Just say the word, and I'm there."
A single tear trails down her cheek, and she leans into my touch, her green eyes shining with something that looks a lot like hope. "Doug McLean, you are so much more than just a cop, aren't you?"
"Only for you, Lori White. Only for you."
* * *
The sound of my heartbeat drowns out everything else as I push open the door to my apartment. "Is it okay that I brought you here?" I ask, already knowing the answer in the way she looks at me, all green-eyed desire and breathless anticipation.
"More than okay," Lori breathes out, closing the gap between us with a step that's both hesitant and sure.
"God, Lori," I murmur, my hands finding her waist, pulling her in close. The feel of her against me sparks a flame that's been smoldering since I first laid eyes on her—since before I had any right to feel this way.
"Show me," she whispers, and her words are a match struck against my restraint. I catch her lips with mine, raw and urgent. Her mouth opens under mine, and the taste of her is like the first hit of adrenaline when the siren blares—a shock to the system that says go, move, act.
Her hands tangle in my hair, gripping hard enough to tell me she's not just here for comfort. She's here because she wants this. Wants me.
"Bedroom," she gasps between kisses, but we barely make it past the threshold. Our clothes are a trail of breadcrumbs leading back to the world we're desperate to forget, even if only for tonight.
“I’m going to keep you forever,” I pant as our naked skin collides, heat upon heat, need meeting need.
"I want to be kept," Lori assures me, and her confidence is the last nudge I need. Her legs wrap around me, and I lift her, pinning her to the wall. There's power in the way she holds onto me, as if she's saying, 'I trust you to keep me from falling.'
"Hold on tight, baby," I warn her, and she does, her body a vise that fits me perfectly.
We move together in a rhythm that feels as old as time and as new as this breathless second. With every thrust, I'm claiming her and being claimed in return. It's raw and real, Lori and me, broken edges and all, fitting together where it counts.
"More," she moans, and I give it to her, losing myself in the feel of her beneath me, around me, everywhere.
"Look at me," I growl, and her eyes snap to mine. In them, I see my own hunger reflected back, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"Always," she promises, echoing my vow from earlier, and it's like a trigger being pulled.
"Fuck, Lori," I curse as I come apart, waves of pleasure tearing through me. I ride them out, watching as she follows, her climax a sight so stunning it sears itself into my memory.
I collapse beside her, both of us panting, spent, and more alive than I thought possible. We're a tangled mess of limbs and sheets, and I don't think I've ever been happier.
"My hero,” she smiles up at me.
"My everything," I cup her cheek, knowing that no matter what tomorrow brings, I'll fight to stay right here—with her.
EPILOGUE
Lori
