“Ramirez, get the guns ready. Just to be sure.” I sheath my machete. “Sienna, can you stay here with Cameron, please?”
“Sure.” She hooks her arm with his. “I’ve got some snacks for us later…”
I grab Dakota and start walking toward the maintenance shed near the tree line. Ramirez uses it to store tools, extra fuel, and supplies. It’s also the one place in the compound with no clear sightlines from the cabins or the gate.
I hold the door open for Dakota, then follow her inside, shutting it behind us. The space is small, crowded with shelves of equipment, smelling of gasoline and motor oil. A workbench runs along one wall, cluttered with tools. Just enough room for two people to stand without touching.
“You’re disappearing on me again.” I step closer, my hand finding her hip, the other cupping her face. “Aren’t you?”
“Julien, this isn’t the time?—”
“There’s always time.” I lean in, brushing my lips against hers.
She stays perfectly still for a beat, two, before melting against me, hands coming up to clutch my shirt. The kiss deepens, desperate and hungry. I back her against the workbench, lifting her onto it without breaking contact. Her legs part, letting me step between them, and I groan against her mouth at the contact.
I press my forehead to hers. “What’s this thing about leaving?”
Her eyes dart to the floor. “It’s complicated.”
“Try me.”
“My father doesn’t want to stay here with you. It’s either the Levines or the Moras. Not both.”
I go still. “Because of us?”
“Because of everything. The argument with my father. You and me. Apparently, they tried to arrange for me to marry you first, not Cameron.” She huffs a bitter laugh. “You refused.”
“I did.” No point lying about it. “I told your father I wouldn’t be blackmailed. But then Cam—Doesn’t matter. That was before I knew you. Before—” I stop, not ready to name the feeling swelling in my chest whenever I look at her.
She slides off the workbench, putting space between us.
“Hey.” I catch her wrist before she can retreat further. “Look at me.”
She does, reluctantly.
“Nobody’s leaving.”
“You can’t stop them.”
“Watch me.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t know my mother. She’ll make our lives hell.”
“Without you, it would be hell.” I wrap her in a hug, one hand sliding to the small of her back. “I’m not letting you go. We’re doing this. A relationship.”
“Relationship?”
“Sienna and Cameron are doing it. Why can’t we?”
“Julien—”
I crush my lips to hers again, and this time, thankfully, she responds instantly, arms coming up around my neck as she opens for me. I angle her head back, deepening the kiss until she whimpers into my mouth.
“We shouldn’t—” she gasps between kisses.
“Probably not.” I yank her shirt up and over her head, tossing it somewhere behind me. “Don’t care.”
Her fingers fumble with my belt. I help her, shoving my jeans down just enough while she works on hers. We’re frantic, all teeth and desperation, racing against time and sanity.
