His grin was pure sin. “Maybe I just like showing you what’s already mine.”
A light scoff pushed past my lips. “That’s presumptuous.”
“Mm. Maybe.” His nose brushed my temple. “But tell me I’m wrong.”
I couldn’t.
As he shifted, I caught movement near the door—Kit slipping inside with a friend, her laugh bright as she waved at someone across the bar. My gaze flicked to Brody, who was mid-conversation with Hayes at a corner table.
His attention froze.
It was brief, but I caught it—the flicker of something unreadable in Brody’s eyes before he glanced toward Hayes. My brother, of course, didn’t notice; he was too busy gesturing grumpily about whatever they were discussing.
I tucked the observation away for later.
Austin caught my wandering gaze and smirked. “What are you scheming, Selene?”
I shook my head, letting my thoughts slip from my siblings back to the man in front of me. “Just appreciating small-town secrets.”
His brow arched as he spun me slightly, his hands tightening at my waist. “Careful. You almost sound like you’re enjoying yourself.”
“I might be,” I admitted, surprising even myself.
Austin’s grin softened into something warmer, quieter, though the heat in his eyes never dimmed. “Good. Because I plan to ruin you for all other men tonight.”
I choked on a laugh, burying my face in his chest as my pulse thudded wildly.
I closed my eyes, a silent admission already humming through my veins:You already have.
“You’re terrible,” I mumbled.
“Yeah,” he said, his lips ghosting over my hairline. “But you like me anyway.”
I melted, my body betraying every ounce of restraint.
TWENTY-FOUR
AUSTIN
The morning lightspilled across Selene’s bedroom in honey-colored streaks, catching on the loose waves of her hair where it fanned across the pillow. Her breathing was slow and steady. One bare arm curled beneath her flushed cheek; the other stretched across the sheets like she was reaching for something in her sleep.
Me.
I stayed still, flat on my back, one hand resting on my chest like it might hold in the ache lodged there.
This wasn’t just good. It wasn’t just the best night I’d had in years. It felt like something dangerous, something I wasn’t supposed to want this badly.
She shifted in her sleep with a sigh, and the neckline of my T-shirt—stolen and stretched slightly on her—slipped just enough to expose the curve of her shoulder. The fabric shouldn’t have looked erotic. But on her? It was lethal.
The thought came unbidden, hitting hard enough to leave a hollow echo behind my sternum.
What the hell was happening to me?
I’d never been the guy to catch feelings like this—messy, reckless, clawing their way up my spine until they threatenedto choke me. I liked keeping things light. Simple. I was good at being the easy one. The fun one. The one who didn’t matter enough to hurt or get hurt.
Now I was staring at her ceiling and wondering whether I’d ever feel okay sleeping in my own bed again.
The sound of faint giggling tugged my attention toward the hall. Winnie had been asleep when we got back from the Lantern, but she was fully awake now, already conspiring, no doubt. Cal and Elodie had tuckered her out on the farm and put her to rest in her own bed before we’d gotten back to the duplex. Neither said anything about the way I followed Selene inside with a sheepish grin.
