At first, all I see is her.

Our eyes lock, and everything else just goes blank around us, until it’s just her and I.

My Leanna. My heart. My everything.

But then, I notice the guy sitting across from her, and my whole body tightens. My muscles clench, and my jaw grinds and the sight of him, and at the possibility that this is, what, a date?

The rage boils inside of me.

I know what she thinks, and I’ve known ever since I heard the truth two days ago that there was a chance she’s moved on. I mean, a woman as perfect and gorgeous, and sexy as all hell like Leanna? Any man would be lucky to scoop her up. But if the douchebag sitting across from her happens to be the one doing the scooping, he’s about to have a very unlucky evening.

I storm right towards her, fire roaring through my veins, my whole body on edge. I tune it all out—the restaurant, him, our history. All of it. None of the rest of it matters, because she’s right here, right within my grasp. I march across the restaurant floor like a hurricane, until suddenly, I’m right in front of her.

If this was a movie, I’d have some cool line to say. I’d have flowers or some shit. I’d know what to say to make it all right. But, it’s me, and this is life, not a fucking movie. So instead, I just do what the inner caveman beast inside of me wants, now that he’s gotten this close to taking back what’s his.

…I grab her, ignore her gasp of shock, and toss her right over my shoulder. And the whole place goes fucking apeshit.

The fuckwad she’s sitting with lunges to his feet, but I whirl, a snarl on my lips as I jab a finger against his chest.

“Sit. Now,” I bark, like I’m addressing an unruly pet.

He scowls at me. “Do you know who the fuck I—”

“I truly, truly don’t give a single fuck, actually.”

“Let me go!”

My attention is pulled away from the guy by the feel of Leanna’s fists and knees slamming into my body, pummeling me with her hands as she squirms.

“Goddamn it, put me down!”

“You heard the lady,” the douchebag spits. “Get your fucking hands—”

I grab him with on hand, fingers tightening on the collar of his shirt, and he gasps as I physically lift him up off the floor with one arm, shake him once, and shove him back down and into his seat. The chair tumbles backwards, sprawling him across the floor, and Leanna’s still pummeling me as I turn and start to move.

It’s like tunnel vision. I know the restaurant maître d is scurrying towards me. I know people are out of their fancy seats filming me on their phones. I know Leanna is fighting to break free of my grasp as she rains punches down on my back.

But all I know is, she’s here, and she’s mine. She’s back in my arms, where she’s belongs. Where she’s always belonged.

“You fucking asshole!” she hollers. “You son of a bitch! You—”

I stop, flinging her off my shoulder, setting her down, and then jerking back to miss the swing of her hand.

I almost grin. Goddamn she’s still feisty.

She hisses and swings again, and I feel the wind of this one before I growl, catching both her wrists in my hands and yanking her into me. We’re in the middle of the fancy restaurant, surrounded by strangers gawking at us like we’re the worst dinner show in the history of dinner shows. Leanna looks up at me, her crystal blue eyes blazing defiantly, her lips tight, and her cheeks reddening.

“You—”

She shakes her head.

“How dare you—”

There are a million things I could say. I could explain. I could stop and tell her everything right here and now and explain all the lies and the bullshit we’ve both been fed. But I’ve waited too long for this. I’ve been denied her for way too fucking long. And I won’t waste another second where my lips aren’t tasting hers.

“You can’t just—”

I grab her, yank her into me, and before she can say another word, my mouth crushes to hers, and my kiss sears possessively and heatedly across her lips.

There’s one second where she freezes, or where she almost pulls back. But then instinct takes over. Memory takes over, and suddenly, she’s melting into me as she moans into my lips.

It’s so soft, and so tender, and it’s the only spark I need to light the whole fucking world on fire. I growl as I kiss her fiercely, lips parting, my tongue seeking hers, my hand sliding around her body as I pull her tight to me, like I’ll never let her go.

Because I won’t. Not ever again.

I keep on kissing her, ignoring the camera flashes, and the maître d tapping on my shoulder. Fuck them all. I kiss her until I’ve gotten my temporary fill, before I pull away. She’s panting, fire in her eyes as they lock on me. There are so many questions that need answering, so many things to say, but for now, all we need is this.

I take her hands, and she blushes fiercely as I kiss them both.

“Let’s go.”

“Where—”

“Home,” I growl, and before she knows it, I’ve scooped her up into my arms, like a groom carrying his bride, and carry her away.

I storm out of that restaurant and into a waiting town car. I can see the millions of questions in her eyes. The car, the cash I threw at the maître d when he wouldn’t shut the fuck up about her bar tab. The suit. She’s used to roughneck me. She’s used to plaid shirts and ripped jeans. She’s about to know the new me too though.

The second the town car door closes, I’ve got her in my lap, my lips searing to hers as she moans into my mouth. The partition is up between us and the driver, and I take full advantage. My hands slide up, pushing her lily-white dress up those long, smooth, creamy legs of hers. She gasps, grinding to me, panting as I growl into her mouth. My cock throbs rock hard, pulsing against the heat between her thighs, hungry for more. Hungry to taste her once again after all this time.

We just keep kissing—no words, just lips—as the car winds through the streets until we get to the helipad by the pier. The car stops, and I pull away, letting her off my lap as the driver opens the door for us. Leanna is blushing, panting, and I can still see a gazillion questions in her eyes as I step out, straightening my tailored suit before I reach back to help her out. Her jaw drops at the waiting helicopter when she realizes it’s for us.

…Or maybe it’s that she sees my name emblazoned across the side of it.

“Brooks,” she whispers, her hand tightening in mine. “What is this?”

“It’s a helicopter.”

She grins, rolling her eyes as she pulls close. She tilts her head back, and when she leans up, I groan and lean in to close the distance. Her soft lips press to mine, and when I pull her into me gently, she melts against my body.

“I mean,” she breathes. “Why is there a helicopter with your name on it? Who…” she shakes her head. “The suit, that watch,” she blinks as she looks up into my eyes, biting her lip as she smiles.

“What is all this?”

“I can explain it all, but first, we need to go.”

I take her hand, helping her duck as we run towards the waiting chopper. An attendant helps us up into the passenger area—luxurious and noise insulated so we don’t need ear protection or anything and shuts the door. He gives the thumbs up, and the pilot starts to take us up.

Leanna gasps, pulling into me, excitement on her face as she stares in awe at the city as we lift off into the night sky.

“Where did you come from?” She whispers, turning to me.

“Anywhere and everywhere, to get you back,” I groan back, kissing her.

She melts against me again, before suddenly, she pulls back, looking down. “Brooks—”

“There’s never been anyone else, angel,” I growl. It’s time to correct the lies, right here, right now. “Not ever.”

She starts to look away.

“No,” I growl, cupping her jaw, my eyes burning into hers. “I’m not saying that like a line or to be poetic or some shit. I’m saying it because there has literally never been anyone else.”

Her eyes go wide.

“Leanna, we were lied to. They tried to keep us apart, angel,” I say quietly.

She stares at me incredulously. “Brooks, what are you saying?”

“They told you I met someone else, and they told me you divorced me.”

Her jaw hits the floor. “Hang on, what!?”

I just shake my head, my jaw clenched, thinking of all the time wasted believing the bullshit.

“There’s only ever been you, angel.”

“You thought I divorced you?” she whispers, her voice pained.

“I didn’t want to, but…” I shake my head. “And you thought I left you for another woman?”

She bites her lip. “I was so mad at you.”

“How could you ever think that?”

“Right now,” she whispers, leaning into me. “I have no idea.”

Our lips crush together again, and we start to fly off into the night. I groan into her, hands gripping her to me tightly as my tongue finds hers. She whimpers into my lips, kissing me hungrily and desperately before she slowly pulls away and glances out the window.

“Where are we going, by the way?”

“Home.”

Leanna arches her brow. “You mean…”

“Yes.”

She frowns, chewing on her lip. “Brooks, I don’t—”

“I know.”

I know she moved ten months ago to a condo near work, downtown. But she kept the house we’re on our way to. Our house.

Our home.

And that’s where we’re going. That’s where I’m going to make her mine all over again. But first, I’m going to remind her just how much I crave her.

She gasps as I pull her into my lap, legs spreading around my hips as she whimpers and settles onto me. My hands skim her thighs, pushing that dress up as she kisses me hungrily, cupping my face.

“Brooks—”

“You’re all mine, angel,” I growl. “And I’m about to take it all back all over again.”