“Too much?”Kayne asked quietly.
She shook her head, quick and sure.“No, it feels good.Solid.”
That did it.That cracked him open just enough to be dangerous.Before he could respond, a familiar voice cut in from behind him.
“Holy hell.”
Kayne closed his eyes.
Jalen Ellis stepped closer, hands in his pockets, stare locked squarely on Chloe as if he’d just witnessed a miracle.
“That’s her,” Jalen said reverently.“That’s the woman from the commercial.Tell me she’s real.”
“She’s real,” Kayne said flatly.
Jalen nodded, eyes still glued.“Okay.Good.Because for a second I thought I’d hallucinated a personal trainer slash goddess situation.”
Kayne angled his body enough to block Jalen’s line of sight.“Eyes up, Ellis.”
Jalen blinked, then grinned wider.“Relax.I’m admiring respectfully.”
“Your definition of respectfully is why HR has a file with your name on it.”
Chloe bit her lip, clearly trying not to laugh.
Jalen finally looked at Kayne, then back at Chloe.“Hi.I’m Jalen.I work here, occasionally with competence.”
She smiled at him.“Nice to meet you.”
He put a hand over his heart.“She smiled at me.I’m emotionally done for the day.”
Kayne sighed.“You gonna behave?”
Jalen considered that.“Define behave.”
“Definealive,” Kayne shot back.
Jalen chuckled and lifted both hands.“All good.All good.I’ll keep my fantasies strictly hypothetical.”
“Jesus,” Kayne muttered.
Jalen leaned in just enough to whisper, “Man, you better put a ring on that before someone else does.”
Kayne didn’t answer.Didn’t need to.
He guided Chloe farther in, introducing people as they passed—names, brief histories, the shorthand of shared trust.No resumes or war stories, simply humanity.
When they reached the quieter edge of the compound, Chloe stopped, taking it all in again.
“This is your home,” she said.
“Yeah,” he answered.Then, softer, “These people are.”
She reached for his hand without hesitation, her fingers threading through his as if they belonged there.They did.
“I’m glad you brought me,” she said.
Kayne squeezed her hand, emotion sitting heavy and unfamiliar inside him.“Me too,cher.”
