“I guess he wasn’t a coward after all.”
“People can surprise us like that.”
He stares at me for a long time while his thumbs roam beneath the hem of my top. He’s not trying to cop a feel or be sneaky. He’s just touching me. It’s weird to feel how comforting it is and how much it seems to soothe him, too. I’m just staring right back at him while wondering what’s going to happen next, the whole world practically on fucking fire while we take our precious goddamn time looking into each other’s eyes.
“It’s settled,” he states in a husky voice. “We work together from now on. Understand?”
I nod. “I understand, Parker.”
“Good.” He yanks me into his arms, practically crushing me against his chest. “Good, precious. Good…”
And despite how it hurts to be squeezed, I don’t want it to stop. Because something between us has finally clicked into place.