She lifts her head. "I want to see it."
"I'll show you when I get back."
"Promise?"
I nod. "I don't make promises I can't keep."
She leans in, kissing me again. Soft, slow, but charged with the weight of everything we're not saying.
When we pull back, her eyes hold mine, and there's a fire in them I've never seen before.
"So, you've thought about us," she says. It's not a question.
"Every night," I admit. "Every damn night."
I pull her into my arms and kiss her again, rolling her onto her back in the bed of my truck while I hover over her. The moonlight catches her eyes, turning them silver-blue, and I can see my future reflected there.
"Caden," she whispers, her hands sliding up my chest, fingers tracing the dog tags hanging around my neck. "I don't want to wait anymore."
My breath catches. "Lucy…"
"I know what I'm saying." Her voice is steady, sure. "I know what I want. And I want you. All of you. Before you leave."
Studying her face in the darkness, I search for any hint of doubt. But there's none. Just Lucy, brave as always, asking for what she wants.
"Are you sure?" I ask, my voice rougher than I intended.
"I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
I lean down and kiss her again, pouring everything I can't say into it, all my fear, my need, my desperate love for this woman who's turned my world upside down.
When I break the kiss, we're both breathing hard. Her fingers are still tangled in my dog tags, and I can feel her pulse racing beneath my palms.
"Not here," I say, glancing around the open field. "You deserve better than the back of a truck for your first time."
Her cheeks flush pink even in the moonlight. "How did you…"
"Because I pay attention to you, Sunshine. Every detail." I brush a strand of hair from her face. "And because you're Noah's little sister. He'd have murdered anyone who tried before now."
She laughs, the sound breathless and sweet. "So where?"
I think for a moment, running through options. Jake's place is too risky with Brentley staying there, and the walls are thin. My parents' house is out of the question. Then it hits me.
"I know a place," I say, starting the truck. "Trust me?"
Lucy nods, settling into the passenger seat. "Always."
We drive in comfortable silence, my hand resting on her thigh, her fingers tracing patterns on my knuckles. The old dirt roads wind until we reach the edge of the Oakside property, where an abandoned caretaker's cottage sits.
"Noah mentioned this place once," she says as I park behind the cottage, hidden from the main house. "Said he was planning to renovate it someday. He's let a few families stay here when they were visiting."
"It's been empty for years," I say, leading her to the door. "I helped Jake fix the roof last summer. No one ever comes out here."
I push the door open with a slight creak. Inside is a small living area, a kitchenette, and a bedroom through an arched doorway. There's a layer of dust on everything, but it's dry and private and ours for the night.
Lucy walks in slowly, her fingertips trailing along the wall. "It's perfect."
As I close the door behind us, my heart hammers against my ribs. When Lucy turns to face me, the sight of her in the silvery light steals my breath.
