Luke didn’t break eye contact, his face frozen in that impossible-to-read way of his. “Darren isn’t dead.”
My breath caught. The world tilted, and I curled my fingers into the blanket.
“There was never any notice about his death. No news, no whispers. Your mom doesn’t have the full story.”
My stomach twisted. I searched his face, daring him to break the promise he’d just made. “You said you would trust me. Give me the benefit of the doubt.”
“I did. I do. Look… if there was a cover-up, and heisdead? Then I get why your mom ran.”
He leaned back slightly, and my hand fell away. I missed his heartbeat beneath my palm instantly.
“But, Mila… I was told your mom stole from us.”
I flinched before bracing for the possibility of it, because we did have money when we ran. “I-I don’t know about that. Maybe she stole from her boyfriend. I don’t think it was from your family’s company.”
“Okay.” His features hardened the way they did on the ice when he was about to take on the opposing team. “You need to keep your head down.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, gaze narrowing. “Don’t poke the beast. Don’t give them a reason.”
That was it? Was he pulling away from me? It wasn’t what I wanted, not even a little. “And what about us?”
His pupils flared wide, something that I hoped was desire swirling in those depths. “I’ve got your back. We’ll figure this out. But we do it together.”
I nodded, my gaze locked on his. “Together.”
“No more secrets.”
“That goes both ways.” My voice dropped to a dare.
“We’re in agreement then. A team.”
I drew back, and he caught my wrist, holding it there.
“You won’t lose me.”
For a moment, I believed him. His gaze dropped to my mouth, then back to my eyes—as though he was giving me one last chance to pull away. And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t gentle—it was years of grief, fury, and need colliding into something between forgiveness and war. His hand tangled in my hair; mine fisted in his hoodie. One touch and I went up like a fuse. Raw, powerful, and potent. An addiction I couldn’t quit. The sound that escaped me didn’t feel like a choice—desire, relief, and warning tangled together.
When he pulled back, our foreheads stayed pressed, breaths uneven. “This changes things,” I managed.
“Damn right it does,” he murmured and kissed me again.
Slower. Deeper. More of a claim than a kiss. We lost ourselves in one another until a car horn blared below and we pulled apart, reluctantly.
The stars blurred above us, a thousand silent witnesses.
Luke reached into his pocket. “Might as well mark the night.” He unfurled his hand to reveal a delicate silver chain with a star pendant.
I blinked back sudden tears at the sight of the necklace he’d given me long ago. I never thought I would see it again. “You kept it?”
When he fastened the necklace around my throat, something shifted. A circle closed; a wound sealed.
He didn’t answer. Just brushed my hair aside.
My fingers drifted up, grazing the tiny silver star. “I left it in your bag before the game. For luck. I wasn’t supposed to leave that night. I thought I’d be there to get it back from you the next day.”
His nostrils flared, and guilt hit me hard for never being able to tell him why I’d left. I knew exactly what he’d thought—I’d left him without a word, thrown all our hopes and dreams away, the ultimate betrayal.
“Still suits you.”
