He starts walking, easy and sure, like he’s known the whole time that I’d end up right here with him.My heart trips over itself, and I curse quietly because there’s no way to hide what’s happening on my face.
When he stops in front of me, the air shifts.
“You look like trouble,” he says, voice low, teasing, like we’re the only two people in this whole place.
“Funny,” I say, smiling up at him, “I was about to say the same about you.”
He grins, that slow, wreck-you-from-the-inside grin.“Dance with me, Red.”
“I’m still technically working,” I manage.
He glances toward Dr.King, who’s deep in conversation with one of the ranchers.“Doesn’t look like anyone’s keeping score.”
I should say no.I should think about what people will say, the cameras, the whispers, the fact that the Captain of the Summit City Kodiaks looks at me like I hung the stars.But instead, I take his hand.
It’s warm, calloused, familiar in a way that shouldn’t make sense but does.He pulls me close, one arm circling my waist, the other holding my hand like something he’s not planning to let go of.The song is slow, something about forever, mistakes and second chances.I can feel the heat coming off him, the steady rhythm of his breathing against my chest.
“Careful,” I whisper, “people are watching.”
He leans down until his lips are at my ear.“Let them.”
A shiver runs through me so abrupt it almost hurts.He smells like spice, sweat, and the faintest hint of soap that reminds me of my childhood.
Around us, the fairground spins, laughter, clinking bottles, the smell of grilled corn and summer.He moves like he knows my body already, like we’ve done this a hundred times before.My fingers find the back of his neck, and he exhales, the sound rough and too honest.
I tilt my head up to look at him, and that’s when it happens, that slight pause where the rest of the world just… fades.His gaze dips to my mouth, and I forget how to breathe.Then he dips me.The move is effortless, confident, like he’s daring me not to trust him.
The crowd cheers, whoops somewhere in the background, but all I can focus on is his eyes when he brings me back up.He’s smiling, and before I can think, he’s kissing me.
Hard.
It’s not sweet or tentative.It’s everything we’ve both been holding back since that first day at the farm: heat, frustration, relief.His mouth moves against mine like he’s starving for it.
Someone hoots nearby, “That’s our Captain!”and the crowd joins in, but I don’t care.
When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against mine.His breath fans across my lips, shaky and uneven.
“Jesus, Tessa,” he murmurs, voice low enough for me alone.“You’re gonna ruin me.”
I swallow, my pulse racing.“Pretty sure that’s a two-way street, Nate.”
His smile is wrecked, wild, and completely unguarded.
For once, I stop overthinking.I stop worrying about what happens next, about who’s watching, about whether this will end in disaster.
For tonight, I let myself have this.
The boy from the farm, the man from the headlines, the storm I didn’t see coming.
For tonight, I let myself fall.
Chapter 20 - Tessa
Typically, Sundays after an event are my favourite kind of slow, a whole day of nowhere to be, a to-do list that starts with “laundry” and ends with “nap.”But today, my nerves have a heartbeat.I can’t tell if it’s because I barely slept or because every time I closed my eyes, I sawhim.
That stupid, perfect dip.
That grin that said he knew exactly what he was doing.
