"For how long?"
"As long as it takes."
She nods slowly. Then, surprising me, she leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
"Thank you," she murmurs against my mouth. "For everything."
I pull her closer, one hand sliding into her hair, and kiss her properly.
She melts into me, her fingers curling into my shirt, and for a moment, the rest of the world falls away.
No Varro, no threats, no war on the horizon.
Just her. Just this.
When we break apart, she's smiling.
A real smile, one that reaches her eyes.
"I should let you get back to work," she says.
"Probably."
Neither of us move.
"Ripley." I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, let my fingers linger against her cheek. "Last night wasn't a mistake. I don't know what this is between us, but it's not a mistake. You understand?"
The smile widens. "I understand."
I force myself to stand up, to step back, to put some distance between us before I do something stupid like carry her back to bed and spend the rest of the day there.
"I'll check on you later," I say. "If you need anything, find Tawny or Paige. They'll take care of you."
"Okay."
I'm halfway to the door when her voice stops me.
"Leviathan?"
I turn back.
She's watching me with those brown eyes—warm now, not empty. Alive.
"I'm glad I came here," she says softly. "I'm glad it was you."
Something cracks open in my chest. Something I thought was dead. "Me too," I say.
And I mean it.
I'm in trouble. Deep trouble. The kind of trouble that doesn't have an easy solution.
But looking at her, sitting there in borrowed clothes with a battered paperback and a smile on her bruised face, I can't bring myself to care.
Some trouble is worth having.
CHAPTER 7
Ripley
