torn piece of cotton had made me the happiest I’d ever been in my life.
“I’ll find a way,” he promised and held my hand again, running his thumb over the makeshift ring. “I’ll find a way for us to be together.” My entire body felt light and racked with shivers that his promise inspired. He kissed my hand again. “I don’t know how I’ll do it. But I’ll find a way for us to be together. I’ll get out of the Klan. I’ll make it safe for us to live.” He breathed in deeply. “I’ll take you away where it’s just us.”
Tanner held his breath as he looked at me from under his eyelashes. He was nervous, I realized. Nervous I’d say no. It made my heart swell to see such a formidable man so anxious for my reply.
I didn’t make him wait long. I edged closer to Tanner, and whispered, “Yes.” Tanner’s hand squeezed mine in response. “Yes . . . I will marry you. Someday. Somehow. No matter how impossible, we’ll find a way to be together.”
Tanner pulled me in and crushed his mouth to mine. He lowered us down onto the bed and slipped off my nightgown. Slowly, I rid him of his clothes until we were both naked under the comforter on my bed. He never let go of my left hand as he pushed inside me. As he rocked back and forth, lovingly and slowly, kissing me on my lips, my face and my throat. I was consumed by the White Prince. I was so deeply, madly in love with him that I wasn’t sure how I could let him go when morning broke.
“Love you . . .” Tanner whispered in my ear when his pace increased and he tucked his head into my neck. His breath caused shivers to ghost down my spine as it bathed my skin in protective warmth. His fingers curled around mine as our breathing became labored and we fell over the edge of pleasure.
Tanner lay on top of me and I embraced his warmth. I ran lazy strokes on his back with my hand, staring at the cotton around my finger each time it came into sight. I didn’t know how long we lay this way, but when the first rays of the morning sun came peeking through my windows, my heart sank. Our time together was finite; Tanner would have to go back to his rooms to ensure he wasn’t discovered.
I faced Tanner on the bed. He had yet to release my hand. My hand stood in stark contrast to his. For something he once found so repulsive, I couldn’t help but think that our hands, clasped together, and full of promises, now looked nothing short of perfect. “You gotta wait for me,” Tanner whispered. His voice was graveled, betraying the emotion he was feeling—that we both were. “I need time to get out. To plan. To figure out a way for us to be together.”
“I will wait,” I promised.
Tanner breathed out. “No matter how long it takes. Don’t give up waiting. Promise me. It won’t be quick.”
“I promise.” Tanner’s shoulders relaxed. I glanced down at the makeshift ring and wanted to give Tanner something from me in return. Something for him to hold onto when all seemed lost and hope was a distant star. Reaching for the clasp, I brought my golden cross necklace between us. Taking his hand, I dropped the cross in his palm and said, “I want you to have it, mi amor. I want you to keep it. Think of me. Even when you doubt how much I love you, look at this and know that I am thinking of you too. Missing you too.”
Tanner held the necklace in his palm. And we lay that way for the time we had left. I drank in the color of his eyes, his lips, and the small smile he gave me whenever I kissed his mouth. I would keep them all in my heart until the day I saw him again. When we would be free, able to live and love . . . and be happy . . .
Chapter Eight
Tanner
I rubbed my neck as I left Styx’s office. Brothers were everywhere, the lockdown in full effect. The visiting brothers took up in RVs and tents outside. I passed by AK, Phebe, and Saffie, heading into AK’s room. Saffie was tucked into Phebe’s side, ignoring everyone around her. Little Ash and Zane brought up the