Her scent fills the space Ben left behind. Stronger now. That warm sweetness wrapping around me like a physical thing,sinking into my skin, making my blood run hot. Every alpha instinct I have is humming with awareness. With want.
She stirs. Eyes fluttering, not fully awake, just that half-conscious drift.
“Milo?” Her voice is thick with sleep.
“I’m here.”
“Where’s...” She blinks slowly, looking around. “Where’d everyone go?”
“Getting firewood. Power might go out.” I slide off the armchair and settle on the floor beside the couch, close enough that I can see the firelight reflected in her half-open eyes. “They’ll be back in a minute.”
“Oh.” She blinks slowly, watching me. “Why are you staring at me?”
Because you’re beautiful. Because watching you sleep is doing things to me I can’t explain. Because I want to know what you’d look like in my bed, hair spread across my pillow, wearing nothing but my scent.
“Just making sure you’re still breathing,” I say instead. “You scared us tonight.”
She’s quiet for a moment. Then, barely above a whisper, “I scared myself.”
“Hey.” I reach out, brush a strand of hair from her face. She doesn’t flinch away. Doesn’t tense up. Just watches me with those tired eyes. “You’re safe now. Okay? Whatever happens, you’re safe.”
“I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Let people take care of me.” Her voice cracks. “I’ve never... no one’s ever...”
She trails off. But I hear what she’s not saying. I hear twenty-five years of doing everything alone, of being let down, of learning that the only person you can count on is yourself.
“Then let us teach you,” I say. “You don’t have to figure it out alone.”
She blinks at me. Once. Twice. And then, barely audible, “Okay.”
My heart slams against my ribs.
“Tessa?”
“Mm?”
“When this storm’s over, I want to take you on a date.”
Her eyes open wider. More awake now. “What?”
“A real date. Dinner. Maybe that Italian place in Pine Valley you’re always talking about.”
“You...” She’s staring at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You flirt with everyone, Milo.”
“I do.” No point denying it. “But not like I flirt with you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I take a breath. Might as well go all in.
“It means I flirt with other people because it’s fun. I flirt with you because I can’t help it.” I hold her gaze, letting her see I mean every word. “You walk into a room and I forget what I was saying. You laugh and I want to spend the rest of my life figuring out how to make you do it again. I’ve had feelings for you for a long time, Tessa. I just figured you weren’t interested. You’ve got your walls up so high I wasn’t sure anyone could get through.”
She goes still. I can see her processing, see the wheels turning behind those tired eyes.
“You don’t have to say anything back,” I add. “I just needed you to know. In case you thought I was just... messing around.”
