We'd be separating in the morning for the last time. I'd never let her out of my sight again. George had been able to book us tickets to Prague but the short notice meant we weren't flying together. I hated the thought of being parted from her but I told myself it would be the very last time.

"I'll be waiting for you when you land," I told her as I put the tickets down on the bedside table. "Then we start our new life."

"Our new life," she echoed back to me, as if she wasn't sure what the words meant. "Will we really be safe there?"

"At least for a while. George is going to keep in touch with me. The slightest hint of a problem, we move on. I still think you should let me kill Sharp though."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I've seen enough killing to last me a lifetime."

"But he tortured you."

"What if you get killed? Then who will protect me?"

She won in the end. I couldn't argue with that. We were staying in a hotel near the airport. I'd booked the room using one of my aliases, taking all the steps I could to make sure we wouldn't be found.

"I still can't believe you came back for me," she said.

I looked at her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms folded across her chest. She looked freezing.

"Come here," I said, lying on the bed next to her and holding out my arms. She lay across me, her chest moving slowly as she breathed in and out. I listened to her breathing, knowing I'd never tire of it. "Is this helping?"

"A little."

I pulled the covers out from under us and draped them across her. I wanted to kiss her. It was a thought that hadn't occurred to me before. I'd spent so long thinking about her, about saving her, about avenging her, yet something like that never crossed my mind.

She was beautiful, even more than when I last saw her. Even with the bruises, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I boiled with rage at the thought of what he'd done to her but I forced myself to let it go. William might not be around anymore but I could remember him best by paying heed to the lessons he had taught me. Let the emotions go. Focus on the moment.

I realised she was looking up at me, blinking as that sparkle slowly came back to her eyes. "Thank you," she said.

I couldn't resist. Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers, ready for her to shy away. She did, but only for a moment. Then she was kissing me back.

The feel of her soft lips against mine sent a whole bunch of new feelings racing through me. I had to touch her. My hands slid down her back and then through her nightgown I could feel her ass. It was soft and pert and touching it made me hard as rock.

Her hands were moving down my chest. She lifted my shirt and felt the muscles of my stomach, tracing lines with her fingers as my cock began to twitch in my trousers.

Tugging at her nightgown, I got my hands underneath, feeling her soft skin, caressing her as she ran her hand up to my chest. Still we kissed, our lips staying together as our bodies got closer.

It might have been the wine we'd enjoyed together, it might have been relief that the ordeal and torment were finally over. Or it might have been because it was meant to be. Whatever the reason, her hand was undoing the button that held my trousers up and I was moving around to her chest, finding her nipples taut and ready for me.

Her cold hand slid into my boxers and gripped my shaft tightly. I moaned into her mouth, moving my hand down to her thigh, brushing lightly upwards, finding her already wet. I plunged a finger into her and then it was her turn to moan.

Pushing her onto her back, I pulled off my shirt, kissing my way down her chest. Neither of us had said a word but we didn't need to. Somehow we knew this was right. I kissed her thighs, pushing her legs apart before easing my tongue into her juices. She sighed, gripping the back of my head as I toyed with her clit until she was writhing in place under me.

I moved up the bed when I thought she was close, pushing a finger into her and kissing her again, using my hand to bring her to orgasm. I looked deep into her eyes as it struck, watching her expression change. Her body shook when she climaxed, her pussy contracting around my fingers but all the time she stared up at me, reaching up to kiss me as her pleasure began to fade.

I shoved my trousers down to my ankles, kicking them off as I remained on top of her. Once I was naked, I took hold of my shaft, rubbing between her legs before with one slow motion, I pushed myself into her until our hips were pressed together.

We continued to embrace as I began to thrust. I began gently, getting faster as her body began to rock against me. The feel of her wet pussy gripping me in place was too much for me to last long. I ground against her, kissing her throughout as her eyes closed. Then I moved fast, sliding all the way in as she gasped through another climax, my body hitting her clit in just the right way.

I came a second later, unable to last any longer at the sight of her pleasure so vivid, so real, so unexpected. My cock jerked as I came inside her, filling her pussy with more and more until I slid from her and collapsed on my side, holding her close. "Thank you," she muttered again, gripping me so tightly I wondered if I'd done something wrong. She was acting as if she was scared but then she kissed me and I knew the truth. We were supposed to be together and now we were. Once we landed in Prague, we would never be apart again, I swore it to myself and to her.