“I missed you so much.” Emma rasped out, as she unwound her arms from around Derek’s neck.

She stared at him intensely, noting that his eyes had gotten a shade darker than usual. She knew that he wanted her. So, why had he stiffened when she had hugged him at first, and that was apart from the fact that she had been the one to initiate the hug, after watching in hurt as he had tried to act aloof in her presence.

For a moment, she had panicked, thinking that he might have ...