Filled with a surge of renewed strength and deep appreciation, Jamie couldn’t help but pull Claire into his lap, his gratitude and admiration overflowing. With a fierce intensity, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss, their connection igniting a blaze of desire that threatened to consume them both. In that intoxicating moment, their breaths mingled, a heady blend of relief, desire, and unspoken promises. As they reluctantly parted, their chests rising and falling with rapid breaths.