Chapter 62

• With that solemn vow still shimmering in the heated space between them, Michael closed the final scant distance to capture Valerie's lips in a searing, breathtaking kiss that seemed to brand his fervent promise directly onto her very soul.
• She clung to him fiercely, eagerly drinking in his passion and unflinching devotion like a woman desperately parched. In that eternal suspended moment, nothing else mattered beyond this man, this indomitable force of nature who had inexplicably chosen to surrender the full brunt of his ardor into her safekeeping.
• Eventually, the need for oxygen resulted in their gradual parting, though Michael refused to relinquish his precious claim on her entirely. They remained entwined atop the rumpled sheets, twin heaths rising and falling inSync as the world slowly bled back into focus around them.