Page 27

CHAPTER 27

SIENNA

Unfolding myself from the floor, I slowly stand and stare at the front door. I can just see the edge of it from here. I need to lock it, secure the house, and go to bed. Cry myself to sleep.

He left.

That’s what he was supposed to do, I guess.

That’s what I told him to do.

To leave so that I won’t get my heart broken all over again.

It feels pretty damn bruised right now, so it’s probably for the best that I avoid future burns and scarring.

Shuffling to the edge of the couch, I notice his jacket.

Tears burn as I pick it up, pressing it against my nose and inhaling deep. Inhaling him.

The smell is so familiar. I’ve always loved his cologne.

I want to take this jacket to bed with me, cuddle it like a teddy bear while my tears soak into my pillow.

He left .

I asked too much.

He doesn’t love me.

He—

The front door swings open, and I spin with a gasp as it clips shut behind Zander. My heart takes off, spiking uncontrollably as he stares at me with an intensity I’ve never seen before.

He’s back.

He’s here.

Does that mean…?

My body starts to yearn with this overpowering pulse that reverberates right down to my soul, and a force I can’t counter moves my feet for me when he strides into the room with a purpose that’s palpable. I barely have time to breathe before he takes my head in his hands and starts kissing me.

His lips are hot and hungry, his tongue owning mine as he cinches me around the waist and lifts me off the floor.

My legs automatically wrap around him, my Tigger tail swinging as I return home to the one place that could always make me fly.

Zander.

My Zander.

Our tongues meet in a hot tango that’s all-consuming. I cling to him, needy and wanting, unabashedly desperate.

Tipping his head, he deepens the kiss while my hands glide around his neck and I whimper against into his mouth.

His arm around me tightens, his other hand finding its place in the back of my hair and lightly fisting my long locks.

Tugging me back, he stares into my eyes and whispers, “I love you.” His lips brush against mine before he murmurs, “I never stopped. I couldn’t stop.”