I didn’t know what to say to that. My chest felt tight, my pulse suddenly loud in my ears. No one had ever described me that way before. I wasn’t the kind of person who lit up. I was the kind of person who stayed in the background, who kept her head down and did the work.
“Carrots,” I said, turning back to the stove. “Don’t forget the carrots.”
I could feel him still watching me. Then the sound of the knife resumed, and I had to remind myself to breathe.
Don’t, I told myself.He’s not serious. Men like him are never serious.
We finished the prep together. He helped me get everything into the pot, stirred when I told him to stir, and stepped back when I needed to adjust the seasonings. He moved around my kitchen like he was trying not to take up too much space, which was almost funny given his size. By the time the soup was simmering and the bread dough was rising under a damp towel, I had to admit he’d been genuinely helpful. More than that—he’d made the work go faster, and he hadn’t annoyed me once.
That last part was surprising. I usually preferred to cook alone.
“You should get some sleep,” I said, wiping my hands on my apron. “You’ve been up for over a day. That can’t be good for you.”
“Probably not.” But he didn’t move toward the door. “Thanks for letting me help. And for the soup earlier. Best meal I’ve had in weeks.”
“You said that already.”
“Worth repeating.” His mouth curved into a half-smile, softer than his usual grin. “Seriously, Allegra. Thank you.”
The way he said my name did something to my stomach. A little flip that I immediately tried to suppress.
“You’re welcome,” I said. “Now go sleep before you pass out on my counter again.”
He laughed at that, low and warm, and the sound settled somewhere in my chest. Then he pushed through the swinging door, and he was gone.
I turned back to the stove, checking the flame, adjusting the lid on the pot. My kitchen was quiet again. My space. My domain.
But I could still feel where he’d stood. Still smell the faint trace of woodsmoke and snow he’d left behind.
I thought about the way he’d watched me while I talked about my dreams. The way he’d saidyou light uplike it was the most obvious thing in the world. The way his hands had felt under mine when I’d corrected his grip on the knife.
It didn’t mean anything. It was just the storm talking. Close quarters, forced proximity, two people stuck in the same building with nothing better to do. By the time the roads cleared, he’d be back to cracking jokes at the bar, and I’d be back to avoiding his flirting.
This was temporary. He was temporary.
I stirred the soup, checked the consistency, and added a pinch more salt.
It didn’t mean anything.
I repeated that to myself until I almost believed it.
3
HUX
Iwas being a creeper.
I knew that. I was standing in the doorway of the bunk room, still in full turnout gear, staring down at a sleeping woman like some kind of stalker. If any of the guys walked in right now, I’d never hear the end of it.
But I couldn’t make myself look away.
Allegra was curled up on one of the bunks, a thin blanket pulled up to her chin, dark hair spilling across the pillow. In sleep, all the tension she carried in her shoulders was gone. Her face was soft and unguarded, her lips slightly parted. She looked younger than she did when she was running that kitchen, bossing me around, and keeping everything under control.
She looked beautiful. So damn beautiful, it made my chest ache.
I’d barely slept two hours before Captain called me back out. Another downed tree near Old Bear Ridge. A family was stranded in their car near the pass. An elderly couple’s heat went out.
I’d been running on fumes and adrenaline ever since, and now it was dark outside, and I was covered in snow and sootfrom a chimney fire that had gotten out of hand before we contained it.
