It was a long, uneasy night for Nina. After the police evidence technician showed up, she and Storm sat at her dining table as he took her formal statement about what had transpired that night. But he also took her statement about her entire association with Bull and how he had been harassing her for the last few weeks, and about the incident in the park that resulted in her being whisked away to the bar in Benton. And she had watched as the evidence tech took an impression of the muddy footprint outside her bedroom window. Storm had made sure that her back door was securely closed and locked before he left. And then he had given her a swift, secret kiss, promising to be back at shift’s end.
When they were all gone, Nina felt drained. It was about eleven o’clock at that point and way past her usual bedtime, but with so much activity she almost felt too keyed up to sleep. So she spent a little time making her new house guest comfortable by assembling a makeshift kitty bed in the wicker basket she’d placed him in earlier. She lined the bottom of it with an old towel that was threadbare and full of holes. Then she placed an old, worn-out kitchen chair cushion in the bottom of it. She pulled two small bowls out of her cupboard and halfway filled one with water. Then she opened up a small packet of tuna and filled the other. She didn’t know where the cat had come from, but from the looks of him, he could use a good meal and a warm soft place to sleep for the night. In the morning she would see about taking him to the vet’s office and asking if anyone was missing him.
After that she went to bed. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sleeping when she woke with a start and sat up. The cat was curled up at her side on the bed, and when he had wandered in, she had no clue. But she frowned as she wondered what had woken her up. She had heard something, she was sure of it. Or had she been dreaming? She hated all the creepy suspense. It annoyed her in movies so she certainly didn’t like it going on in her real life. She sighed as she figured that she had been dreaming, and she was lying back down when she suddenly heard a noise outside.
Not again!
Quickly, she got out of bed and grabbed her phone. She wanted to rush out to the living room to investigate, but she remembered Storm’s words of chastisement earlier. So she closed her bedroom door and prepared to call 911. Again!
That’s when she heard her front door being opened and then closed softly. Oh, God! Someone’s really in here this time! Her heart was racing, her breaths coming in frightened shallow pants as she tried to force her frozen brain into action. She heard footsteps coming down her hallway, and she slowly backed away in terror as she saw the door knob being turned.
It opened slowly, and when she saw Storm stick his head in she didn’t know whether to punch him or hug him.
“You scared me half to death,” she yelled at him. And Storm looked at her in surprise.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!”
“What the hell are you doing sneaking around my house?”
“I warned you that I got off at three, but you told me to come back anyway, remember?” he answered.
“Yes, but I didn’t know you would be sneaking in!”
Storm laughed at her. “Well, my plan was to just come in quietly and slip into bed without waking you. I figured you wouldn’t have changed the hiding place for your key, even though I told specifically to do so. And I was right!”
Nina let out a big sigh of relief as she felt her racing heart begin to slow down.
“You can add that to the list of things you’re being spanked for,” Storm said as he removed his gun and placed it on her bedside table.
“You know, after the night I’ve had, I don’t think I deserve a spanking. I think I’ve been punished enough,” Nina said, folding her arms in front of her and looking at him in defiance.
He smiled at her as he pulled off his t-shirt and stepped out of his shoes. Then he walked over to the bed and frowned when he looked at the cat, lying there like he owned the place. “What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s called a cat,” Nina said playfully. “Or more specifically, a kitten. I’m no expert, but I don’t think he looks all that old.”
“Yeah, but what is it still doing here?” Storm asked, still frowning at the animal.
“Well, I couldn’t very well send him back out into the wet, miserable night. Did you see him before? He was drenched. So I dried him off and gave him some food and a bed,” she answered.
“You fed him?” Storm repeated, like he couldn’t believe it. “Now you’ll never get rid of him, you know that don’t you?”
Nina smiled at him. “I fed you too.”
“Mmm, very funny,” he said narrowing his eyes at her in a menacing way. But Nina could hear the suppressed laugh in his voice and she smiled. “Well, I’m sorry, cat. I know you’ve had a rough night, but this bed is not big enough for the two of us,” he said as he reached down and picked it up. He held it aloft, as though it were something he didn’t want to get close to, and Nina laughed at the sight as he carried it to the door. He set it down in the hallway just outside the bedroom door, then closed the door behind it.
He smirked at Nina as he walked toward her. “You laughing at me?” he asked quietly.
Nina’s giggle continued as she nodded her head at him. And he placed his fingers under her chin as he leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were soft against his, and Storm couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close as he gently sucked her tongue. He looked down into her eyes.
“Am I going to need to restrain you for this, or are you going to be a good girl?” he asked with a soft, sexy voice.
“Storm,” she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. “I can’t believe you’re serious about spanking me.” It wasn’t that Nina had never heard of sexual spanking, because she had. But she simply had never thought it was something she’d be willing to try.
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked, caressing her face with his hand.
Trust him? Was he serious? She had been trusting him with her life from the moment he had come to her rescue at the bar the other night. And she had trusted him not to hurt her when he tied her wrists that first time they’d had sex, and that had turned out amazing. Beyond amazing.
“Yes, I trust you,” she said softly, looking up at him. “What are you going to hit me with?” She did understand the concept of sexual spanking, even if she’d never done it. She knew that there were things like paddles and floggers and leather straps. Even riding crops.
Storm smiled at her. “I’m going to spank you, not hit you. There is a difference. And I’m only using this,” he said, holding out his empty hand, palm up. “Okay?”
She looked up at him for a long moment, and for a split second Storm thought she might say no. But to his delight, she silently nodded her head. He smiled at her and reached to the hem of her tank top, then pulled it over her head. She stood before him in nothing but her pajama shorts, and he took her by the hand and walked over to the bed, taking a seat. Then he looked up at her.
His expression was suddenly so intense, almost as if he had flipped a switch and become a different person. He seemed to study her, and Nina felt powerless to look away from his gaze as a nervous ripple began in her belly and travelled outward.
“Why am I spanking you, Nina?” he asked, still looking up at her.
“Why?” she repeated softly as she looked down at him.
The look on his face was so somber, and she knew that that he was taking this punishment thing seriously. Was this some sort of cop role playing fantasy game for him? Is that why he was into things like restraints and spankings? But as she watched him, it began to dawn on her that she was oversimplifying it, and there was much more to it than that. She realized that this wasn’t a game for him at all, and that Storm Kelly was a good and decent man who had a genuine dark, razor-sharp edge to him that manifested itself in his mean-looking motorcycle, his badass attitude, and his dominant sexual proclivities. And as she thought about it, Nina began to wonder not only just how dark his dark side ran, but also if she could handle it.
“Um, because I’ve neglected my personal safety,” she said softly.
“And how’d you do that?” he asked, still looking up at her with that intense expression.
How? He wanted a list? She wracked her brain trying to remember the list of infractions he had given her earlier. “Um … I … I didn’t listen to the dispatcher’s instructions,” she said softly. “And I didn’t report Bull’s harassment to the police.”
“Anything else?”
“I didn’t get the back door fixed a long time ago,” she answered.
He stared at her, saying nothing, and then he lifted an eyebrow at her as if he were waiting for more.
“Oh, and um … I … I didn’t change the hiding place of the extra key on the porch,” she added, feeling proud of herself for remembering it all. But Storm didn’t look impressed. His expression remained inscrutable, and Nina had to admit, something about it was sexy as hell.
“Come here,” he said, gently pulling on her hand and indicating he wanted to bend her over his knees.
Nina assumed the position, feeling awkward and a tiny bit embarrassed as she lay across his lap. She felt his hand rub along the length of her spine and then back down before it came to rest at her lower back. Then with his other hand, he slowly pulled her pajama bottoms down. And Nina wriggled around in nervous anticipation.
When he lowered her pajamas and got a look at her bare bottom, Storm couldn’t help but smile. He rubbed his hand gently over her rump in an almost massaging caress. He had thought about this all night long after he’d left her place before and finished his shift. He was going to enjoy this, and he hoped that she did too.
It was always a challenge for him, finding a girl with just the right mix of sweetness and kink. Someone who was both smart and beautiful. The trouble was, he liked his women confident and strong-willed, but he also wanted someone who wanted to be submissive in the bedroom. Someone who appreciated his dominate tendencies. And from the moment they’d had their first conversation after he’d helped her out of that bar, Storm had been hoping that Nina Fitz might be that girl. There was just something about her, and he wanted this girl more than he had ever wanted anyone.
His hand was warm and gentle on her ass, and as he caressed her there, Nina began to wonder if perhaps he’d changed his mind. But then without warning, his hand left her, and came down swiftly, making contact with her right cheek. The sharp sound of the smack startled her more than the sudden sting did, but Nina heard herself gasp in surprise. And even though she’d been expecting it, she couldn’t keep herself from squirming on his lap. The wiggling only grew with the second smack, this time on her left cheek, and if it hadn’t been for his other hand holding her firmly in place, she might have wriggled right off of his lap.
Not that what she was experiencing was painful exactly. At least, not as painful as she had been anticipating. She noticed that Storm alternated which side of her bum to spank, moving almost methodically as he worked. He never smacked the same spot twice in a row, and he timed the smacks perfectly with an even, steady rhythm. Each time his hand made contact, the sting was initially harsh. But Nina noticed that the pain very quickly gave way to a warming sensation that spread from her ass all the way to her pussy, and she suddenly found herself moaning with every smack. Shocked at the level of pleasure she was experiencing, Nina lifted her bottom up, eager to meet his hand.
Storm smiled to himself when she raised her ass, practically begging for more, and her moans spurred him on. He picked up the pace of the spanking then, increasing the force of his hand by a fraction, smacking first one cheek and then the other in rapid fire succession. He was so turned on right now, he could barely stand it.
Nina’s ass felt like it was on fire, and she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it was bright red. And she couldn’t believe how aroused she felt. But just as she was really getting into it, Storm abruptly stopped, and she actually pouted.
He pulled her from his lap, turning her swiftly as he stood up. “On the bed, on all fours,” he ordered, and Nina immediately complied. “Lean down on your elbows,” he instructed.
She did as she was told, and she could hear him stripping out of his uniform pants behind her. Another second and he was sliding deep inside her, and she couldn’t tell which one of them had moaned louder. He didn’t waste a second as he held tight to her hips and started to move, pounding her hard and fast. And Nina felt every thrust against her now tender bottom. The spanking had worked them both up so much that it didn’t take long at all before Nina was trembling and screaming in ecstasy, and Storm was groaning loudly as he exploded right along with her.
He collapsed on top of her, pushing her body into the bed as they both struggled to pull air into their lungs. Then he slid off of her, rolling to his back as he continued to pant. The smell of sex lingered in the air as he turned to look at her. Then he rolled onto his side, reaching out to move a strand of her hair from her face.
“Hey … you all right, sweetheart?” he asked, caressing her face.
Momentarily unable to speak, Nina gave a slight nod of her head.
“Nina?” Storm asked again, growing concerned.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m all right. That was … amazing.”
He smiled at her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she breathed, looking into his eyes.
“Not as scary as you were thinking?” he asked.
“No. It was exactly what I deserved for not being more safe,” she panted. “Maybe I need more punishment. Just to be sure I’ve learned my lesson.”
Storm chuckled as he sat up beside her on the bed. “Have I just created a monster?” he asked, and she smiled bashfully at him. “Well, I will be more than happy to spank you whenever you misbehave, Miss Fitz. Maybe next time we'll try a paddle or a flogger. But there are a few other things I’d like to introduce you to as well. Think you’re up for it?”
Nina bit her lip as she stared up at him from her reclining position. “Yes, please.”
*
Storm woke up to the smell of coffee and toast, and when he opened his eyes, Nina was no longer beside him in the bed. But her new four-legged house guest lay purring on her pillow beside his head.
“I thought I told you only one of us could be in this bed at a time, Fur Ball,” he mumbled sleepily. “What is it with chicks and cats?” he asked himself as he stretched and yawned.
The cat took his disdain as in invitation to get to know one another better, and he slowly moved from the pillow to Storm’s chest, still purring as he gently nudged Storm’s chin with his head.
“Can I help you somehow?” Storm asked with an agitated frown. The cat continued his head-butting until Storm finally reached up and reluctantly scratched the animal’s head.
When Nina entered the bedroom to change for work she was stopped in her tracks at the sight of this big, dominant man gently petting the kitten curled up on his chest, and she quickly grabbed her cellphone and snapped a picture.
“You two look adorable!”
“Are you keeping this thing?” he asked, trying to sound annoyed by the feline.
Nina shrugged as she went about dressing for the day, pulling on a pair of denim capri pants and a stylish Express Yourself t-shirt. “I figured I’d put up a few flyers at the area Veterinary Clinics to see if anyone is missing him,” she said. “But until then, I guess he’s bunking here with me. Which reminds me, I’ll have to stop by a store later to get a few things.”
“What kind of things?”
“I don’t know. Some cat food for starters. And I guess he’ll need a litter box,” she answered. “But my day is going to be crazy. I’ve got three scheduled tats today, and two of them are pretty big and involved. I’ve already spent several hours on one guy’s back. I think maybe two or three more hours today and I’ll have it completed. I don’t know when I’ll get to the store,” she sighed just thinking about her schedule.
“Well, I’ve got all morning,” Storm said. “I can run to the store for some things after I deal with your door.”
She smiled at him as she stepped into her wedge heels, and then walked over to the bed and sat facing him. “You would do that?”
Storm shrugged as he moved the cat from his chest and sat up. “Yeah, I guess. Just write down what you need.”
“Thank you,” she smiled.
“You’re welcome,” he said, returning her smile. “Did I smell coffee?”
“Yes. And I have some time,” she said as she glanced at her watch. “I can make you some breakfast.”
They shared a very comfortable morning together over coffee and scrambled eggs as they talked. Mostly about her case and the strange footprint outside her bedroom window, but they talked about other stuff too. Like their jobs and what a typical day was like for each of them. And they made plans to go out on a proper date since they hadn’t actually done that yet.
When Nina left for the tattoo shop, Storm was starting work on her back door, and he kissed her long and deep before she left. It took him about half an hour to get the new deadbolt installed and to shore up the door so that it wouldn’t stick anymore. After that, he gathered his things and left her house, being sure to lock the door with the spare key from the porch.
He ran home to his apartment and got a quick shower and changed. Then he did as promised and went to the store for a dozen cans of cat food, a bag of litter, and a litter box, and took the things back to Nina’s place. He set up the litter box and placed it in the corner of her bathroom. Then he found a small dish in her cupboard and opened up a can of the food, to which the cat seemed very appreciative. He took a couple of quick pictures of his efforts with his cellphone and sent them to her. And in response, he got an image of a selfie Nina had taken blowing him a kiss.
As he left her house for the second time that morning, Storm suddenly heard the roar of a motorcycle engine firing up. It was a sound that always got his attention – most bikers would say the same. And when his eyes looked around to find the source of the sound, he froze. His skin tightened as every muscle in his body suddenly stood at high alert. He clinched both fists as his eyes locked with Bull’s from a distance, and Storm wished with every fiber of his being that the man would get off the bike and come within striking distance. But instead, he revved his engine and then took off down the street. And Storm stood staring after him for several seconds.
He closed Nina’s door and made sure to lock it. Then, instead of replacing the spare key to its hiding place on her porch, he stuck it in his pocket. He wasn’t going to take the chance of leaving it behind if Bull decided to come back. And as he got onto his own motorcycle and rode back home, he wondered what the hell the man had been doing, sitting across the street and watching Nina’s house. Did he watch her house often? And if he did, surely he had to know that she’d be at the tattoo shop at this time of day. Which left two possibilities: either Bull had come there at this time of day to let himself into Nina’s house – for what purpose Storm had no idea; or he had been watching all morning long, and had seen Storm leave the house earlier that morning. In which case, he was now watching Storm. Trying to intimidate him perhaps. Storm smiled at that thought. Bull obviously had no idea what game he was playing, or who he was playing it with. But he was sure as hell about to find out.
When he pulled into the small garage at his own place, Storm reached to his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He dialed a number and then waited for Payne to answer.
“Storm?”
“Hey, Cuz,” Storm said in greeting. “Listen, I’m sorry to bother you with this again, man. But I need another favor.”
“This is about Bull again?” Payne asked.
“Yeah. It’s escalating. And I need to put a stop to it before it goes any further,” Storm growled. “‘Cause if he hurts her, I swear to you I will kill him. It’s time he finds out who he’s fucking with.”
“Tell me what you need,” Payne replied.
Storm told his cousin everything that had transpired after they had spoken the night before, all about Nina’s intruder call to 911 and about the evidence of someone peeping into her bedroom window. And he told him about Bull watching Nina’s house earlier. Then he told Payne what he wanted to do about it, and they formulated a plan.
Several hours later, about an hour before Storm was due at the station for his shift, he pulled into the parking lot of Duffy’s bar and got out of his car. He scanned the lot and spotted the bike he’d seen Bull riding earlier that day outside Nina’s place. He took a deep breath, pulling himself up to his full height. In his uniform, his impressive 6’ 3” stature was imposing, to say the least. He strode toward the door of the place and went inside.
In the middle of the afternoon, Duffy’s wasn’t completely deserted, but it was nowhere near the small crowd Storm had experienced the first time he stepped foot in this place. Still, it was like the parting of the Red Sea when he stepped in, and he could feel everyone’s eyes turn toward him. He looked slowly around, scanning their faces and not finding the one he needed. Without a word or invitation, he walked toward the back of the bar as he searched for his target.
Looking to his left as he passed the bar, he spotted Bull in the room with the pool tables, and ventured in. Bull was stooped over a table, cue in hand, as he concentrated on the balls. And Storm saw his two cohorts standing nearby. They were the only three people in the room.
“Get out,” he said as he stared them down. He could see the recognition in both their faces. They remembered their last run-in with Storm, and neither of them wanted to repeat it. They put down their pool cues immediately and left the room. And Storm turned his attention to Bull.
“Remember me?” Storm asked as he approached the man. Then he gave him an insincere smile. “Well, you must. I mean, you did just see me leaving Nina’s place this morning.” Storm could see that the mention of her name irritated Bull.
“Yeah, I remember you, asshole,” Bull said. “And you must really have some set of balls to come in here wearing that uniform. You’re either very stupid or very, very brave.”
Storm smiled. “Which one do you think it is?”
“I don’t give a shit,” Bull answered. “All I care about is the fact that I promised to kill you if I ever saw you again.”
Storm’s smile grew bigger, and he stepped closer to him in a menacing fashion. “We never did get that dance, did we? Well, come on, big man. I dare you to try.”
Once again, Storm could see the flash of fear in the man’s eyes. But he quickly regained his bravado, knowing that whoever was in the bar out there would back him up if he needed them.
“Yeah, right. I come at you, and then you arrest me for assaulting an officer. Oh, but wait a minute,” Bull smiled. “I think that patch on your uniform says Eastwood! Only we ain’t in Eastwood right now. That means you don’t have any jurisdiction here in Benton!”
Storm smiled at him. “No, that’s true. I don’t have jurisdiction here in Benton. But they do,” he said, motioning to the door of the room with a nod of his head. And as if on cue, Payne Kelly and his younger brother, Colin – also an Eastwood County Sheriff’s Deputy – stepped into the room. And the look on Bull’s face was so priceless, Storm wanted to laugh. But he didn’t.
“Hey, Ricky,” Colin said, staring Bull in the eyes as he leaned up against a pool table and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Our cousin, Officer Kelly, here has been telling us some stories about you. And here we thought you had been behaving yourself.”
“Cousin?” Bull said, looking back at Storm.
“Yeah, we were never properly introduced,” Storm said, returning his gaze. “You might say us Kellys are our own little gang. Only we get off on law enforcement instead of drug trafficking and prostitution.”
“What did I tell you the last time you got out of the pen, Ricky?” Payne asked, stepping closer to the man and looking him in his eyes. “What do you think your biker buddies would do to you if they knew you were a snitch, huh? And you’re not just singing to me, you’re singing to the good boys of the Benton Police Department too.”
Bull’s eyes widened a bit at that comment.
“Didn’t think I knew that, did you?” Payne said. “Your buddies would take great pleasure in killing you if they found out you were a rat. My guess is they’d get really creative about it too. There wouldn’t be a place on this earth that you could hide. You wouldn’t even be safe in jail.”
“Hey, I have been keeping out of trouble, PK,” Bull said, suddenly terrified. “I’ve been …”
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” Payne said, cutting him off. “This man is my family, and my best friend. Why the hell would he lie to me about your sorry ass, huh? You been harassing this girl in Eastwood? Peeking in her windows, kidnapping her from a public park and threatening to rape her?”
“No! I …”
“Shut up!” Payne’s voice was sharp, and Bull stopped talking immediately. Then Payne looked at Storm and gave him a small nod.
“I’ve got a message for you from Nina,” Storm said, addressing Bull once more. “The lady doesn’t like you. She doesn’t want anything to do with you. If you go near her, her home, or her place of business one more time, I promise you, I will make you regret it. Are we clear?”
“The Officer asked you a question,” Payne said when Bull hesitated.
Bull nodded his head.
“We didn’t hear you, Ricky,” Colin said, still leaning against the pool table.
“Yes. I won’t bother Nina anymore.” His voice was quiet, and Storm could see the defeat written all over his face.
He turned to Payne then and reached out to shake his hand. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime, Cuz,” Payne said. “We’ll be keeping our eyes on him from here. But you let us know if he gives your girl any more problems, all right?”
“Yep.”
He turned to Colin and shook his hand. “Thanks for the assist, Cuz.”
“No problem, man,” Colin said, smacking his cousin on the arm. “Bring your girl to the house on Saturday. We’re having a barbecue.”
“I’ve gotta work, but we’ll try to make an appearance.”
“all right, man. Be safe.”
“You too.”
Storm left them to it then and headed out of the room without another glance back at Bull. He strode through the bar with all eyes on him once more, feeling confident that Nina’s Bull problem was over.
He got into his car and headed straight for the station, arriving just in time for roll call. When he finally got into his cruiser and started his shift, Nina was all he could think about. And as he went about his night, he found himself wondering why he had gone through all the trouble of calling in his cousins for help in dealing with Bull. The question bothered him for hours until he finally realized that the simple truth was that he liked her. He liked this girl a hell of a lot more than he expected to, and he wanted nothing more than to keep seeing her and to get to know her.
At eleven o’clock, on his “dinner” break, he pulled his cruiser into her driveway and walked to her door. He wasn’t sure if she would be sleeping or not, but he needed to tell her about what had happened, and he needed to return her key.
To his surprise, the door opened before he could pull the key out, and she smiled at him.
“What are you doing here so early?” she asked as he stepped in.
“Lunch break,” he smiled.
“Really?” The notion sounded silly to her at this time of night, and she smiled.
“Hey, I wanted to give this back to you,” he said, holding out her house key. And when he explained to her why he’d kept it, Nina was freaked out.
“Why is he doing this?” she wailed, talking about Bull and his creepy stalking. “What does he want from me?”
“I think we both know what he wants,” Storm replied, sitting down on the arm of her couch and pulling her to him. “But he’s not gonna get it. I’ve taken care of Bull. He won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“What did you do?” she asked, standing in his embrace as he sat on the sofa’s arm. In this position, they were almost at eye level to each other.
Storm shrugged. “I got some information on Bull from my cousin on the Eastwood’s Sheriff’s Department. Something Bull doesn’t want his buddies at Duffy’s to know. Something we can use to keep him in line, and keep him away from you.”
“Then … it’s over?”
“It’s over. We completely shut him down,” Storm said. “He can go harass somebody else now. He’s not your problem anymore.”
Nina grinned at him before wrapping her arms around him tightly. And Storm smiled as he held her close. They both reveled in their embrace for several seconds before Nina pulled away, looking into his eyes.
“So … what happens now? Do I lose my knight in shining armor?” she asked, pouting at him.
Storm smiled at her, tightening his arms around her waist. “Well, I guess that depends on you,” he replied. “In case you haven’t noticed, I can be a little … aggressive. A little dominating.”
“A little bossy,” Nina added, and Storm gave her a warning look.
She blushed slightly and looked down at the badge on his uniform. And when she glanced back up at him from beneath her eye lashes, Storm felt as though he’d been sucker punched in the gut. It was the most submissive expression he’d ever seen, and it turned him on unlike anything else ever had.
“Okay … maybe a little bossy,” he conceded. “So, tell me sweetheart. Do you think you can handle me?”
Nina gave him the same sassy, wicked smile she had given him the night they’d met. “I think the question you should be asking, Storm Kelly, is whether or not you think you can handle me!”
He smiled at her, and then he pulled her closer once more and kissed her long and hard.
The End.