Hope spent the day in her office, looking at Sandy’s numbers and thinking. And not about the idea she’d had, but about what her mother had said to her, about her being the excuse Hope used to stay in Deep River.
And instead of the research she should have been doing, she found herself looking at college websites and degrees.
It had been years since she’d let herself contemplate those dreams she’d once had. Of leaving and going somewhere else, living a different life. Going to college and learning, having new experiences, all the things she’d told herself she wouldn’t be able to have staying here.
Her grandfather used to tell her stories of his life before he’d come to Deep River and bought the Moose’s lease. Of his time spent in the navy, traveling to different countries. And then after that, of living in Florida and then moving north to New York, before deciding city life wasn’t for him and going to Minnesota in search of a different lifestyle. He’d given that up too though, heading into the wild north and Alaska.
She’d loved those stories of his and she’d decided early on that she wanted to travel like he did, see all of those places. She definitely didn’t want to stay in the Moose, didn’t want to end up like her mother, whose life was spent sitting on the couch, watching TV, and going over all her bitterness. That seemed so small and limited, so unexciting.
You’re going to end up like her anyway if you’re not careful.
Hope nibbled on her bottom lip, staring at her computer screen.
Yeah, but she’d had to stay after her grandfather had died; there was no other choice. Her mother needed her and Hope couldn’t leave her. She was, after all, the reason her mother’s mental health was so fragile.
But…the years had gone on, and her mother had gotten better, and there had been plenty of opportunity for Hope to leave Deep River, to do the traveling and learning she’d always wanted to do. Yet she hadn’t. She hadn’t wanted to leave her grandfather’s legacy to just anyone and…
Yeah. And?
Something that she really hoped wasn’t regret twisted in her gut.
She’d told Silas the night before that she was fine with her choices, and she’d meant it. She was fine with them. She’d packed up her dreams, put them in a box, and shoved them to the back of her mind, never to be looked at again.
Because that was easier. Easier than wanting what you knew you couldn’t have.
It had been, that was true. But what if she could have had them? What if she could have had those dreams all this time?
She didn’t like that thought—which was probably why she’d never let herself think too deeply about the future, never let herself have too many plans—mainly because she didn’t like what that said about herself.
You were afraid.
Hope leaned back in her chair, trying not to pay any attention to the nagging voice in her head. But the feeling didn’t go away. Or the knowledge that maybe that voice was right. She had been afraid. Of failing maybe. Or of succeeding—she wasn’t sure which.
One would have meant coming back to town with your tail between your legs. The other would have meant you didn’t come back at all…
A knock sounded on her office door, mercifully interrupting her thoughts, and before she’d had a chance to reply, the door was opening and Silas was coming through, and all those thoughts disappeared entirely.
He didn’t close the door this time, deliberately leaving it open, leaning one shoulder against the frame and folding his arms. His gaze found hers, the gold eclipsing the green, already burning.
For her.
Her mouth dried, her heartbeat picking up speed.
She’d always been very good at not thinking about things she didn’t want to think about, but it had been tough not to think about him. Or about what had happened between them the night before. And she’d tried, because she didn’t want that getting in the way of her day.
But at the sight of him now, tall and powerful, the dark green of his Wild Alaska T-shirt highlighting the broad expanse of his chest and the gleam of desire in his eyes, the memories of the night before came flooding back.
He had touched her so deliberately, as if he’d relished every second, and he’d tasted her too, like she was something delicious he couldn’t wait to eat. And after that initial hunger had been sated, after they’d talked, he’d shown her something new just like she’d asked. Then she’d taken what she’d learned and had given it back to him, touching him the way he’d touched her, as if he were a work of art.
And like a bottle of champagne that had just had its cork popped, all the need and desperate desire she’d been pushing down all day came rushing to the surface and she could hardly breathe through the intensity of it.
He’d told her that one night wouldn’t be enough, but he’d been gone this morning, and she hadn’t been sure whether he still felt that way or not.
Which is why you haven’t been thinking about it. Because you wanted him too. And it’s easier not to think about the things you want, right?
Of course it was easier. And she’d let a whole lot of things distract her today, since it meant she didn’t have to think about Silas. Didn’t have to wonder whether he would want a repeat of the night before. Didn’t have to try and pretend that she didn’t want it, that she hadn’t been hoping for it with every breath she’d taken.
But it was clear he did still feel the same, since what flamed in his eyes almost burned her alive.
“Upstairs,” he said roughly, and without giving her a chance to respond, he pushed himself away from the door and went back out into the hallway again.
She supposed she should feel offended at being ordered around so blatantly. Except she didn’t feel offended. She felt turned on. That rough note in his voice told her that he was on edge and that likely the edge was all down to wanting her. Badly.
And she was not offended by that. Not offended in the slightest.
Hope pushed herself out of her chair and went quickly out of her office. The hallway outside was empty—thank God—and the stairs free of anyone hanging around. Not that she would have hesitated even so. She hadn’t wanted anyone knowing she was sleeping with Silas, but right now, hiding where she was going wasn’t the most important thing in her head.
He was.
She assumed he meant his room, so she went quickly up the stairs and down the corridor to the honeymoon suite. She didn’t bother knocking, pushing the door open and stepping inside, and as soon as she did so, a pair of big, warm hands settled on her hips, and he was pushing her up against the closed door.
His mouth was on hers almost immediately, and she let her head fall back against the wood, threading her fingers through the thick black silk of his hair. She kissed him hungrily, opening her mouth and letting the kiss get deeper, hotter. His big body was pressing against her, all hard, muscled heat and the delicious scent of woodsmoke and cedar, and suddenly she was almost trembling with the need to get closer to him.
She arched up into him, sliding her hands from his hair and down his back, her fingers digging into the firm muscle, glorying in it.
A dim part of her was vaguely appalled at the intensity of her own feelings and how she was letting them run riot, but she ignored that part of her. Because Silas’s grip on her was tightening, his kiss becoming demanding, making it very clear she wasn’t the only one who was desperate.
She could allow herself this, couldn’t she? She could let herself want him, want what he could give her, especially since right now there was no danger of her losing it. He would give her what she wanted because he wanted it too.
So Hope dug her fingers into his back, gripping him tighter, exploring his mouth with a little more confidence than she had before, letting the rich taste of him go straight to her head like a shot of Harry’s finest home-distilled whiskey.
God, he felt so good. She couldn’t believe they hadn’t gone there together when they were younger, that she hadn’t made a move on him. But then she’d had good reasons for not doing it. She couldn’t have handled those raw sexual feelings at eighteen, but now she could. Oh yes, now she was more than ready.
His hands were at the buttons of her jeans, undoing them, but this time she wanted to be the one to give him what he wanted first. He’d been so selfless the night before, holding himself back to give her pleasure, and now she wanted to return the favor.
Before he could do anything more than get her zipper down, she gave a little push to his chest, making him take a step back, then she dropped to her knees in front of him.
“Hope,” he murmured, his deep voice rough. “What are you doing?”
Her heartbeat was getting louder, excitement crowding in her throat. She didn’t look at him, not wanting to lose her nerve, because she hadn’t done this before. “It’s my turn,” she said, as she reached for the button on his jeans. “So let me have it.”
He gave a rough laugh. “Hell, if you think I’m going to stop you, you’d be wrong.”
“Good.” She got the button undone and then tugged his zipper down. He was already hard and ready, the outline of him clear beneath the black cotton of his boxers.
Her breath caught; he was big and she liked that. She liked it very much indeed. He’d filled her completely last night, and now she wanted to taste him, put her mouth on him. Drive him as insane as he’d driven her.
She reached out and stroked him, running her finger down the hard ridge, thrilling as she heard his breath catch as much as hers had.
“Are you teasing me, sweetheart?” His hands had dropped to her hair, lazily pulling her ponytail out.
“Maybe,” she said breathlessly, tugging down his boxers and reaching for him, curling her fingers around the long, hard length of his erection and drawing him out. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing.” He sounded even rougher now, his voice deepening. “Not a goddamn thing.”
She wanted to stroke him, squeeze him, tease him the way he was accusing her of doing, but she didn’t want to wait. So she didn’t hesitate, leaning forward and touching her tongue to him, letting the salty flavor of him fill her senses.
He groaned, his hands tightening in her hair, the sound shivering across her skin like a caress. So she did it again and then again, licking him, tasting him. Then opening her mouth and taking him inside.
“Hope…” Her name sounded like a prayer. “God…”
She kept her fingers wrapped tight around him, taking him in as far as she could, then beginning to suck.
He muttered a low curse, his hips flexing, thrusting into her mouth slowly at first, as if he could sense her inexperience. She might have found that patronizing at another time, but right now she was glad. Because it meant she could make this good for him. And she wanted to make this good for him. She wanted this to be the best.
Why? You want to be special to him?
Of course she wanted to be special. She wanted him to have something good to take with him when he left, something to remember her by.
His thrusts sped up, getting faster, but by that stage, she knew what she was doing. She gripped one of his thighs with her free hand, changing up the rhythm, using her tongue, nipping at him a little, letting him feel the edge of her teeth, which he seemed to like because he growled low and deep in his throat when she did it.
She’d never thought she’d like doing this to a man, but Silas made everything different. He made everything exciting and new, and she loved that. She loved how she was able to drive him absolutely insane, making his fingers twist almost painfully tight in her hair, the rough sounds he made driving her own need higher.
And then things began to get faster, rougher, as he took control, and she loved that too. Especially when he groaned her name yet again, his body stiffening as he came. She swallowed him down, taking everything he had to give, and then afterward, she leaned against his denim-covered thighs, resting her head on his hard stomach.
She felt shaky and desperate all of a sudden, but also weirdly satisfied and pleased with herself.
His hands had loosened in her hair, stroking her, massaging her scalp gently, and it felt so good she wanted to purr like a cat.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “Absolutely fucking incredible.”
She smiled and raised her head, looking up into the gleaming gold of his eyes. “I know there’s beer goggles, but I feel like there’s orgasm goggles happening here.”
The expression on his face was as intense as it usually was, but then it relaxed and he smiled, and she found her heart clenching tight in her chest. There had always been a reason she’d hoarded the smiles he gave her. They were beautiful. And so was he.
“Orgasm goggles, huh?” His hands urged her to her feet. “Maybe you should try a pair on for size then.”
“If you’re the one giving them out, then definitely.” She put her hands on his chest, looking up at him. “You should smile like that more often, you know.”
As she’d hoped, the curve of his mouth deepened. “I’ll keep that in mind. But note that it only happens when you’re around.”
“Lies. I’ve seen you smile at other people.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean it with them.” He lifted one hand and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing over her skin in a light caress, making her shiver. “I mean it when I smile at you.”
The tightness in her chest increased, a bittersweet pain, and a wave of heat passed through her cheeks. “Si…”
His fingers cradled her head as he leaned down, kissing her. “No more of that,” he murmured against her mouth. “I have a favor to return.”
And thank God, because she didn’t know what to say or how to deal with that pain inside her. A sweet ache that made her uncomfortable at the same time as it made her want more.
She hadn’t had many people in her life tell her that she was valuable or even that her presence was welcome. Her grandfather hadn’t been a demonstrative man, and her mother didn’t have any emotional energy left for her. So the simple fact that she made Silas smile…
It meant a lot.
It shouldn’t.
And she shouldn’t let it. But tell that to the feeling inside her that only ached more as Silas lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed, laying her on it. Then he followed her down onto the mattress, his long, powerful body pinning her in a way that made the ache shift lower.
He settled himself between her thighs, kissing her long and slow, making her so aware of all the fabric that was still between them and how she wanted it gone. Right the hell now.
But he took it slow again, much to her annoyance. Taking off her clothes in a measured way, kissing every inch of exposed skin as he did so, stroking her and caressing her until she was naked and shivering, desperate for him.
Only then did he kiss his way down her body, his hands on her thighs, pressing them gently but insistently apart. Then he spread her with his fingers and bent his head, his tongue beginning to explore the hot, slick flesh between her legs.
Hope groaned, her hips lifting as soon as his mouth touched her, electricity crackling along every nerve ending, pleasure twisting and knotting inside her.
He explored her, taking his time, using his mouth and his tongue in the same way she had on him, driving her wild.
Oh, he was wicked. But then maybe she’d always known that as well, another reason eighteen-year-old Hope had steered clear of him. Good thing the woman she was now absolutely loved it.
She sank her fingers into his hair, holding on as he pushed her higher, stoking her pleasure until she was shaking and writhing beneath him, and only then did he push her over the edge, making her gasp his name as she shook and shook and shook.
And it wasn’t until she was lying there trying to recover that he pushed himself off the bed, slowly stripping off all his clothes until he stood by the bed naked and glorious.
She couldn’t stop looking at him, at the broad width of his chest and shoulders, the sharp corrugations of his abs. Lean hips and powerful thighs. Oh lord, would she ever get tired of looking at him? Probably not.
“Now,” he said as he came back down onto the bed, settling himself over her and between her thighs, his hot, bare skin on hers a delicious shock. “Let’s try that again.”
* * *
He was totally indulging himself, and he knew it. But he didn’t care. Hope was naked and soft beneath him, and he was pretty much helpless to resist her. Not that he’d planned on resisting her, but when he’d come back to the Moose, he’d thought he might be able to hold out a couple of hours at least, take some time to think about what he’d found out from Mike about the leases, turning a few ideas of his own over in his head.
But the moment he’d walked into the Moose, he’d headed straight for Hope’s office, his body already hard, unable to think about anything else but her. If his brain had been working properly, he might have asked her to bed a bit more nicely. But his brain hadn’t been working properly. So he’d said the first thing that had come into his head, which was to order her upstairs.
Luckily she’d been into it, because if she hadn’t been, he didn’t know what he would have done. He certainly wouldn’t have had her kneeling in front him, his cock in her mouth, giving him the most insane pleasure he’d ever had.
She lifted a hand and let her finger trail over his stomach as he dealt with the issue of protection, her dark eyes smoky with heat and pleasure. “You’re pretty amazing too, you know that?”
He finished rolling down the condom, then positioned himself, looking down into her lovely face, unable to get enough of watching her as he pushed inside her, the moment when she became his and only his.
“What were you saying about orgasm goggles?” he murmured, flexing his hips and pressing in, seeing pleasure flare in her eyes as he slid inside her.
She inhaled sharply, her lashes fluttering. “I…can’t remember.”
He smiled, his heartbeat speeding up as her body clenched hard around him. “No. Neither can I.”
Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders, her body arching, her hips lifting to take him deeper, and they both groaned as he settled more fully inside her.
Oh God, she felt good, so incredibly sweet and hot. He could feel that fire burning inside her and it was all for him.
He bent and pressed a kiss to her throat, tasting the pulse that beat there, not moving for a couple of moments, wanting to savor this. Just the feeling of being inside her, of her welcoming him, having her fire burn all around him.
“Silas,” she whispered, her nails digging into his skin. “Please.”
He nuzzled against her neck, grinning, the husky, desperate note in her voice making him feel very self-satisfied. “Please what?”
She scratched at him. “Please move.”
“Demanding.” He bit the side of her neck gently, teasing her. “You know I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Don’t be an ass.” She arched beneath him, trying to urge him on, and the feel of her moving against him was so delicious that he thought he might let himself be urged. “Come on.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.” He nipped at her bottom lip. “Maybe I want to lie here, driving you crazy.”
“That would be mean, and you’re not mean, are you?” Then she gasped as he shifted slightly on her. “Okay, scratch that. You are mean.”
He laughed, sliding his hands beneath her butt, tilting her slightly, settling himself more completely and making her tremble. She was soft and she felt so good that he’d decided he’d had enough of teasing her. He began to move, gripping the curves of her ass as he slid out and then back in, watching the glow in her eyes become hotter, the flush in her cheeks intensifying.
Sexy Hope. Beautiful Hope.
You’re such a goner for her.
Yeah, he was. He always had been. But even so, he wasn’t going to make this into anything more than what it was: phenomenal sex with a woman he’d wanted nearly half his life.
You want more than that.
It wasn’t anything new. He’d always wanted more with her. He’d wanted everything. But that wasn’t something he’d ever allow himself. Because he’d always wanted more from people than what they could give. He’d wanted his father to go back to being the man he was before Si’s mother had died, and because he’d been young, he’d thought handing the old man a vodka bottle would help. And it had.
His father had gone from never mentioning her name, never even looking in Si’s direction, to reminiscing at length about her, giving Si drunken hugs and talking about airplanes and going fishing the way he used to do.
It was wrong to want his father to stay drunk. But that didn’t stop him from feeling glad every time he came home to find the vodka bottle open and his father singing one of his mother’s favorite songs in the kitchen.
And if he didn’t exactly pour his father another drink, he didn’t get rid of the vodka down the drain. Or tell Mal not to sell it to Joshua anymore. Or even tell his father that perhaps he might not want to open the bottle tonight.
He did none of those things. Because he’d wanted his father back. He’d needed him so badly that he’d let him become a drunken wreck of a man.
He’d hated himself a little bit for that, and so he hadn’t wanted to put that kind of need on Hope. Didn’t want to be demanding stuff from her that she couldn’t give. He’d keep this intensity in the bedroom and let himself have it here, where it could be mistaken for sexual hunger rather than anything else.
It was enough. It would have to be.
He moved deeper inside her, faster, and her head went back on the pillows as he increased the pace, her breathing coming in short, hard pants, her legs locking around his waist.
He bent his head, kissing her exposed neck, needing the taste of her in his mouth, because somehow it felt as if this wasn’t enough. He had to have more.
You always have to have more. That’s the problem.
Si shoved that thought away, gripping her hips as he thrust harder, her body so soft and hot he could barely handle it.
Her hands slid down his back, fingernails scratching him lightly before digging into the curve of his butt and holding on. She was making those husky, sexy little noises that meant she was close to the edge, and he wanted to keep her there, wanted to make her ride that edge for as long as he could.
But he was too desperate. All he could do was keep going, keep driving himself deep, the sweet musky scent of her and the tight clasp of her body making him slightly crazy. He slipped one hand between them, down between her thighs, stroking her, then giving her a little pinch.
Her body convulsed, his name a hoarse scream in his ear as she came, and then he let himself go, thrusting into her as the pleasure coiled tight as a spring before exploding outward, a bright burst of lightning sizzling up his spine and out through his head. He turned his head against her neck, biting down on the sensitive spot between her shoulder and neck as the climax took him, and for whole minutes—hell, maybe even hours, who could tell?—he was lost. Blinded by pleasure and by her.
It felt like a long time later that he opened his eyes to find her lying beneath him, looking up at him, her hands stroking slowly up and down his spine. Her skin was flushed and her eyes were glowing like dark stars, and he’d never seen anything as beautiful as she was in his entire life.
“You okay?” he asked, because he’d let himself go a little there and he wanted to make sure he hadn’t hurt her. Though he had to admit she didn’t look hurt, just well-tumbled.
“I am feeling…very good.” Her mouth, reddened from his kisses and full and pouty, curved. “Very good indeed.”
“I aim to please.”
“And you sure do.” She gave a sensual stretch, making parts of him that he’d thought well-sated start to be hungry for more. “You’re good at that, by the way. Lots of practice, I take it?”
He couldn’t tell if she was fishing for information, passing judgment, or something else, but he did catch the faintest edge in her voice. Which pleased the Neanderthal in him very much. “Why do you want to know? You jealous?”
She hit him lightly on the shoulder. “No. It was just a simple question.”
It was more than that, he was betting; otherwise, why ask it in the first place? Then again, he didn’t mind. He liked the idea of her being jealous extremely. “A bit. You know, here and there.”
“What? A man who doesn’t talk about his conquests?” Hope raised a dark eyebrow. “You’re a unicorn, Si.”
“No, I don’t talk about them. And I prefer to think of myself as a gentleman.”
“Yes, well, a gentleman doesn’t order his lover upstairs without even a please, so I beg to differ.”
He had to smile at that. “Depends on the gentleman and whether or not his lover likes being ordered upstairs.” He brushed a lock of hair off her damp forehead. “You didn’t seem to mind it.”
She flushed. “Maybe.”
“So what about you?” Because what was good for the goose, etcetera. “Have you got in much practice?”
Hope’s gaze dropped to his mouth. “You know, I’d really like to kiss you right now.”
He would really like her to kiss him too. But she’d just ignored him completely and he wasn’t having that. “You can’t ask me that question and not expect me to ask you the same thing.”
She lifted her gaze back to his. “You didn’t really answer me.”
“No,” he said bluntly, because he wanted her to know. “There’s been no one else. I’ve had lovers, but no one serious.”
“Oh.” She blinked and glanced away. “Well…I haven’t either. No one serious, I mean.”
“Lovers?” She would have had some, surely? She was beautiful, and he couldn’t imagine there wouldn’t have been lots of men interested in her.
Hope sighed. “I don’t really want to tell you.”
“Why not?” He stroked her hair, loving the silky feel of it against his palm. “Have there been lots? Fifty? A hundred?” He wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to know, because it didn’t matter.
You don’t want it to be fifty or a hundred.
Hell no. He already felt jealous of whoever it was she gave her virginity to, because she hadn’t been a virgin. Some guy who didn’t deserve it, that was for sure.
“Not fifty. Or a hundred.” She let out a breath. “One. Lame, I know. But only one. A guy from the trawlers who was in town for a couple of weeks. He was interested and I thought ‘why not?’”
He shouldn’t have been happy with that, but he was. It pleased a very male, very possessive part of him. The hungry part he knew he needed to get a lock on. “That’s not lame,” he said, probably doing a very poor job of hiding just how much that pleased him. “You’re choosy.”
“Not really.” She pulled a face. “I didn’t have that much to choose from.”
Surprise filled him, and he didn’t bother hiding it. “Seriously? You’re gorgeous, Hope. You must have had guys lining up for a chance with you.”
“Not really.” She stroked her hands absently over his shoulders. “Bit difficult to find a decent partner when you own the bar and have a reputation for tossing people out when they cause trouble.” She hesitated. “Plus it’s a small town, and people always have something to say when you hook up with someone.”
Oh yeah, he knew that. He remembered all too well the kinds of gossip that went around about his father. Most of it was benign, and there were more than a few people who checked in on Si just to make sure he was okay. The town had looked out for him in its own way.
But there would always be gossip. That was part of the deal.
“Did that bother you?” he asked. “I wouldn’t have thought you cared about gossip.”
An expression he couldn’t quite read crossed her face. “It’s all very well not to care if you don’t live here. But when you’re staying put and you manage a place that a lot of townspeople meet at, then yeah, it did bother me. Mom had to put up with all of that when she was pregnant with me, and I didn’t want to have to deal with it myself.”
Okay, so that made it clearer. Of course she wouldn’t want to leave herself open to an experience like her mother’s.
“Fair enough,” he said. “Though that was a few years ago. People aren’t quite as judgmental these days.”
“Maybe not. But I still didn’t want to have to deal with it. Even if the gossip isn’t malicious, it’s still annoying. And I didn’t want the town looking over my shoulder, anyway.”
There was a flat note in her voice that made him study her face intently, looking for what he didn’t know. She’d had one partner in thirteen years… No one to touch her. No one to hold her. Had anyone told her she was beautiful? Had anyone ever let her know that she was sexy?
Ah, but he knew the answer to that already.
No one had.
Something ached in his chest. God, he hated the thought of her here on her own. Lonely. Because she must have been lonely. She’d always been so passionate, and that didn’t just disappear. But she’d buried it, locked it away behind that prickly, tough exterior.
And she wasn’t the only one who’d locked down a part of themselves. He’d done the same thing.
But right here, right now, they didn’t need to keep those pieces of themselves hidden away, did they? Not with each other. With each other, they could be themselves completely.
“You don’t need to worry about the town now,” he said, staring down into her eyes. “What goes on between you and me isn’t any of their business. And for the record, I don’t care that you run the Moose, or that you throw people out who cause trouble.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re the most beautiful woman in the entire universe, not to mention the sexiest, and I’m not letting you out of this bed until it’s time for me to go back to Juneau.”
She liked that, he could tell, because she blushed adorably. “Well, okay then.”
He shifted his hands, cupping her face, letting her see how utterly serious he was. “I mean it, sweetheart. You’re going to be sleeping with me here every night, got it? So if you don’t want that, you’d better tell me now so we’re both clear.”
Hope stared at him for a second, not saying anything. And he found he’d tensed up because if she didn’t want that, then he wasn’t sure what he would do.
But then she said, “I want that, Si. I really want that.” There was no mistaking the certainty in those words. No mistaking the longing he could hear in them either.
“Good,” he said huskily, the ache in his chest intensifying for some reason. “Then that’s what’ll happen.”
Then he leaned down and kissed her, making good on his promise.