Luke grumbling goodnight and sliding under the blankets beside her instead of slipping out into the dark.
A quiet life. A shared life.
Her chest ached with wanting.
Could she ask him, right here, barefoot in her kitchen, for more? To stay the night?
But before she could gather her courage, he straightened. The shift was tiny but palpable—his shoulders squaring, his expression shuttering just a little.
FromLuketoOfficer Bennett.
“You should, uh…” he said, glancing vaguely toward the back of the house, “keep the lights low. Don’t want your neighbors spotting me.”
“Oh. Right,” she murmured, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. “Of course.”
I don’t care if they know.
I don’t want to be your secret.
I want you to stay.
Grace leaned on the counter beside him, close enough to feel the heat of his body.
He stepped closer, one hand sliding up to cradle her jaw with an ease that lit her nerves on fire. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Her eyes fluttered shut as she kissed him.
When she opened her eyes, he was already stepping back.
She followed him toward the door. The air felt colder here. Sharper. Luke unlocked the back door with the ease of someone who’d done it dozens of times.
Grace leaned against the doorframe, arms wrapped around her middle beneath the robe.
Don’t go, she thought.
He paused, and looked back at her.
Then he stepped out into the night, pulling the door closed behind him with a soft but final click.
CHAPTER 3
Grace
Grace had almost convincedherself she’d slept more than four hours and hadn’t spent half the night replaying Luke’s exit in her head.
Almost.
But the moment she stepped into her classroom, any lingering heaviness melted beneath the familiar chaos.
“MISS HART!!”
A chorus erupted, a room full of tiny humans yelling her name like she was a rockstar entering the stage. Someone tugged her skirt. Someone else waved a paper in her face. Another’s hand was suspiciously sticky, and she didn’t want to know why.
Grace smiled and set down her tote.
“Okay, okay,” she laughed, clapping her hands once. “Deep breaths, my loves. We cannot all talk at the same time unless we want Miss Hart’s brain to melt out her ears.”
Giggles erupted.
