Page 74 of Protecting Paisley

“They won’t.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hansen said. “Because I am. I am proud of you, Paisley. I’m proud of you for getting onto my crew. I’m proud of you for saving Korbin’s life. I’m proud of you for fighting when you had no one fighting for you. I’m—I’m proud to know you.”

I closed my eyes and buried my head in Hansen’s chest again, feeling his strong, warm arms curl around me, shielding me from the harsh, cold world I’d just experienced. I longed to be in his arms, feel his body against mine. It had been so long since I’d felt this way—loved, and it was a feeling I was still so frightened to lose again.

“You sure know just what to say, don’t you?” I teased, popping up on my toes to kiss his lips. Hansen secured the back of my head with his hand and pressed his mouth to mine, hungry for me. For a moment, we kissed, lost in our little fantasy world of perfection, a short moment that I felt went on for ages.

“Paisley,” Hansen said after a moment and pulled his head back to look at me, placing both hands on either one of my arms, holding me firm. “I love you. I’ve loved you since I laid eyes on you, and I love you even more now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Sincerely. Forever.”

“Erik.” Refusing to break down again, I shook his hands off and stepped into his embrace, tilting my head to kiss him, teasing his lip with my tongue, a blissful euphoria wrapping me in a tight cocoon. “I love you too, Captain.”

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