He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Good. Because I meant what I said earlier. I’m serious about you, Allegra. This isn’t a storm thing. This isn’t a one-time thing.”
My chest tightened. Part of me wanted to believe him. The rest of me was already calculating how long until the roads cleared, until life went back to normal, until he realized I wasn’t anything special.
“You don’t have to say that,” I said quietly.
“I know I don’t have to.” He shifted, tilting my chin up so I had to look at him. His eyes were steady, certain. “I’m saying it because it’s true. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. And I know it’s fast. I know we barely know each other. But I know what I want.”
“What do you want?”
“You.” Simple. Direct. No hesitation. “For as long as you’ll have me.”
I didn’t know what to say. My plan had never included this. A man who looked at me like I was the only thing in the room. A man who said things likefor as long as you’ll have meand meant every word.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted.
“Neither do I.” He smiled, that soft half-smile that made my heart flip. “We’ll figure it out together.”
I tucked my head back against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. Outside, the snow still fell. But in here, wrapped up in him, everything felt quiet. Safe.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t thinking about the next step. The plan. The escape route.
I was just…here. With him.
And that terrified me more than I wanted to admit.
5
HUX
Something was wrong. I knew it the second I walked into the roadhouse that evening.
Allegra was there, helping Elsa and Gabby bring out plates for the crew, but she wouldn’t look at me. Every time I tried to catch her eye, she turned away. Found something else to do. Someone else to talk to.
The guys were oblivious, too busy devouring the food she’d made to notice the tension radiating off her. But I noticed. I felt it like a cold front moving through the room.
The storm was finally weakening. Roads would be passable by morning, maybe sooner. Life was about to go back to normal.
And Allegra was pulling away.
I waited until she disappeared into the kitchen, then pushed back from the table. Conner raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Smart man.
She was alone when I found her, scrubbing a pot that probably didn’t need scrubbing. Her shoulders were tight, her movements jerky. She knew I was there—I wasn’t exactly quiet—but she didn’t turn around.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing’s going on.” She scrubbed harder. “I’m just busy.”
“Bullshit.”
That got her to stop. She set the pot down and braced her hands on the edge of the sink. But she still didn’t face me.
“What happened earlier…” She took a breath. “We got caught up in the storm. The intensity. The close quarters. Maybe we should take a step back. Think about this rationally.”
There it was. The wall going back up, brick by brick.
“Rationally,” I repeated.
“I have a plan, Hux. I’ve always had a plan. And it doesn’t include—” She stopped herself, shaking her head.
