He made a sound reminiscent of the deep-throated purr of a large cat as she went to work on his ear.

He leaned his head forward to bury his nose in her scent. The arm still around her waist reflexively tightened and loosened his grip in waves. The fingers of his free hand combed through her hair.

His, his, all his. Against all odds, she was all his.

The grip around her waist tightened just a bit more than he wanted it to, and it took great force of will to relax his grip again, particularly when she was doing that to his ear.