She shifted in his embrace, turning to straddle his lap instead of sitting across his legs, able to press her body more fully to his and hide her face against the side of his neck. Pippa wanted to be surrounded by him, engulfed in his warmth, his scent, and the weight of his arms around her.

Calming herself this way, Pippa was able to keep herself more firmly in the present, listening to him and actually hearing the honest depths of his feelings for her. She pressed a shaky kiss to the underside of his jaw.