As Crow waited for Penelope to arrive, he couldn’t stop replaying the events of the day over in his head. He still couldn’t believe Rikki had tried to seduce him, and for such a malicious reason too. A tangle of negative emotions weighed heavily in the pit of his stomach, making him feel sick. He had never been betrayed by anyone like this before. It was painful to have been so hurt by someone he had thought was his friend. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he saw her again. In fact, he didn’t even know if he could face her.

He stopped pacing as a figure appeared from the southern side of the clearing, and his heart leapt with excitement as he recognized her to be Penelope. She had finally made it. He stepped towards her, hurrying to meet her halfway as she moved to close the distance between them. As soon as they met in the middle, he wrapped his arms tightly around her and pressed into her lips fervently as she kissed him. Her presence was comforting, and he soon began to relax into her embrace.

When she pulled back, he shook his head. “You have no idea,” he breathed, leaning in to meet her lips again. He kissed her with zealous passion, losing himself in her touch like a strong drink. Only when he needed to pull back for air did he finally part from her, panting as he caught his breath. “I love you so much, Penelope,” he murmured, holding her close and touching a few affectionate kisses to her jawline. He shuddered as he thought again about how close he had come to losing her that day, and suddenly he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to have her.

With a subtle change in his demeanor, Crow met Penelope’s lips with renewed energy. He ran his hands sensuously over her hips, leaning into her to push her back against the nearest tree. When he had her pinned with his own weight, he began to kiss her along her neck, working his way from her collar to her ear. “I want you now,” he whispered against her skin, fingering the clasp of her dress before moving to undo it.