I promise I'll never tell."

"Don't promise that," he said in an ultraserious voice. "If they try to hurt you and the only way to protect yourself is to tell them what you know about me, then you tell them. Straight off, okay?"

"No."

"Promise me."

"No!"

"I will possess your heart."

Heat flared along the back of my neck. "What did you say?"

"My favorite song. 'I Will Possess Your Heart.'"

"By Death Cab for Cutie?"

He snorted. "No, the little known T.I. Hip-hop remix. Yes, Death Cab for Cutie."

... "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, but it doesn't seem to fit you. It's kind of a sad song."

"No it's pure confident. It's not 'I want' or 'I need', none of that crap." He slipped his hand over mine. "It's 'I will.'"

A nervous laugh bubbled up. "You will, huh?"

His fingers brushed my cheek, then slid into my hair. "I will.

Jeri Smith-Ready