my eyes widen. Pippa gives me a shocked expression, as though she couldn't possibly imagine why I would say such a thing to someone like her. My neck heats.
“Lars I…” She bites her lip.
I can't stand here and have her tell me that she doesn't love me back. My heart thunders in my chest. I released her from my hold suddenly, clumsily, and straighten my neck tie. I look in any direction that isn't right at her face. “I uh, I have to go. I… I'll be back.”
“Lars, wait…” she says in a pleading tone.
I look back at her, biting my lower lip. She blushes, dropping her gaze to the floor. “I love you too. You know that, don't you?”
On the last word, she looks up and pins me with that blue gaze. I'm a little dumbfounded. She loves me?
Like really loves me?
The thought breaks over me like the sea over a boat's stern. I stand there for a few seconds, staring at her almost blankly. She gets that weird guilty look on her face again, dropping her gaze. “I know you have to go,” she says. “I know that. But when you get back, we should really talk. There are things that you don't know about me, things that you probably have every right to know…”
I stop her in her tracks, putting my hand on her upper arm and pulling her towards me. I still don't have the words to communicate what I feel exactly. But when my lips seek hers, my kiss hungry and searching, I pour all those feelings into the kiss. She responds immediately, raising up on her tiptoes and curling her hands into my lapel. She makes a soft sound of want against my lips. I slide my hands around her and take her up, needing her to feel how much I love her.
A moment later, she gently breaks off the kiss, looking me deep in my eyes. “You have to go. You don't want to be late.”
I groan a little, not wanting to put her down. “I don't want to though.”
She gives me a small sad smile. Running her hand through my hair, she kisses my lips ever so briefly. “I'll still be here when you get back. I'm not going anywhere. I promise.”
I kiss her one final time before I put her down, checking the time on my watch. Fuck. If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late. And there is nothing that I want less then to show up late to a meeting with my commanding officer when I'm trying to prove that I'm an outstanding member of the Royal Air Force.
Letting my eyes travel down her body, I step back. “Do me a favor. Don't change clothes. I want you to be in this exact outfit when I get home. I want to tear it off your body.” I arched a brow. “Okay?”
She blushes, smiling a little bit. “Okay, okay. Now go. You’re going to be late.”
Luckily as I hurry out the door and into the waiting car, I only have to go a couple of miles. The second the car pulls to a stop outside the coffee shop, I burst out the door and run into the shop. I'm looking at my watch as I hurry through to the door. I am exactly 1 minute late.
My commanding officer, Gen. Ted, is sitting at a corner booth, drumming his fingers on the table. I push my hand through my hair as I stride over to the table, saluting the general.
“Sir. Sorry I'm late, sir. It will not happen again.”
“Capt. Løve,” the general greets me with a nod. “Please, sit down.”
I slide into the booth, my eyes scanning the general's face for any signs. I don't know why I was called here exactly, but I have a feeling that it's either very good news or very bad news. I sit up straight and try not to appear nervous.
The general frowns at the cup of coffee sitting before him. His expression is unreadable. “I called you here today because you applied for a promotion to our space force.” He glances up at me. “I'm sorry to say that you have not been chosen. Not because of any shortcomings about you as a person, soldier. But because of your royal rank.”
My heart freezes in my chest. I stare at the general’s lips, willing him to not tell me what he came here to tell me. But he just continues anyway.
“Are you listening, soldier?”
I