Instead, I stood there with the truth spread out between us, and Lilah looking at me like walking away hadn’t even crossed her mind.
That was the part that rattled me.
I worked with animals because they followed rules.I put in the work and I got predictable results.People didn’t operate that way.People complicated things just by showing up.
And Lilah… hell, she hadn’t asked to be let into my world.She hadn’t pushed.She hadn’t demanded answers or reassurance.She’d just stayed there, steady and unflinching, like she’d already decided this mess was worth facing.
I’d opened the door myself.
That truth settled heavy in my chest.I couldn’t blame circumstance or timing or her damn persistence.I’d offered space.Offered trust.Offered her a voice in things I’d never shared with anyone else.
I gripped the edge of the desk harder than I needed to.Control had always been my shield.Keep things clean.Keep them moving.Don’t let anyone close enough to disrupt the system.It had worked—until her.
The fear wasn’t that she’d leave.It was that she might stay.And if she did, I wouldn’t be able to protect her from what was coming.Wouldn’t be able to manage the fallout.Wouldn’t be able to guarantee an ending that didn’t cost her something.
I met her gaze again, the weight of that truth settling into something sharper and more dangerous.And fuck it all, I wanted her anyway.
I should’ve stepped back.
That was the smart move.The responsible one.I had fourteen days hanging over my head and a ledger full of trouble I hadn’t told her the half of yet.Letting whatever was going on between us turn into something wasn’t just reckless.It would drag her closer to a mess she didn’t deserve.
If this blew up, it wouldn’t just be my ranch or the rodeo taking the hit.It’d be her name tangled up in it too.
I opened my mouth to say something.To put space between us.To draw a line I was already standing on the wrong side of.
Instead, I took a step closer… my choice made.
She straightened, rolling her shoulders like she was getting ready to join me in the fight."What’s the immediate risk?Someone else finding this?Or someone using it?"
"Both."I dragged a hand through my hair."If this gets out before the rodeo, it’s a disaster.If it gets out after?—"
"—it’s still a disaster, just with more money on the line."She let out a huff."Okay.So we need to figure out who else might have access to these records.And whether this is the only copy."
I stared at her.The way she saidwe.The way she didn’t ask for permission or reassurance.The way she started trying to untangle the problem like it was ours to share.
Something tight in my chest loosened.
She caught my expression and paused."What?"
"Nothing."My voice came out rough."Just—you’re not running."
A slow smile curved her mouth."Why would I?This is interesting."
I let out a disbelieving laugh."You call this interesting?"
"Better than boring."She reached across the desk and tapped the ledger."Besides, I’ve got skin in this game now.I like your stock."Her fingers lingered on the page, then lifted."So.What do we do?"
I should’ve told her to walk away.Should’ve said this wasn’t her fight.But the truth was, I didn’t want her to walk.Not from this and not from me.The room went quiet, like my entire future hung on my next move.
Lilah’s eyes widened as I rounded the desk, but she didn’t step back.Just watched me, steady, as I cupped her face and kissed her.
The kiss wasn’t like the one I’d laid on her yesterday… hot and impulsive and half out of my mind.This was slower.Deeper.A kiss that said I didn’t want to do this alone.
She melted into it, her hands sliding up my chest, gripping my shoulders.When I pulled back, her lips parted, her breath shaky.
"Was that a distraction tactic?"she murmured.
"No."I thumbed her bottom lip."That was me not pretending anymore."
