“You don’t get guarantees,” she says softly. “Neither do I.”
My grip tightens.
“If I cross this line with you,” I continue, “it’s not temporary. It’s not a summer thing. It’s not something I walk away from.”
Her breath catches. “Then don’t walk away.”
I search her face. “You understand what that means?”
“It means you stop holding yourself back.”
“It means you stop being my nanny and start being mine.” The possessiveness in my voice surprises even me.
Her eyes darken.
“And if I want that?” she asks.
“Then I stop pretending I don’t crave you every time you walk into a room.”
Her breath shudders. “You’re dangerous when you talk like that.”
“You should see me when I stop talking.”
Her breath comes out in small pants. I want to close the distance and kiss her but I don’t. “I can feel how closed off you are–even now.”
I nod, slow-simmering anger coiling in my stomach. “I think I always will be, Tessa. This can’t happen between us–not for you–not for that little girl. In fact, the best thing for both of us is probably if you left Devil’s Peak and never looked back.”
“Is that what you want?” Hurt darkens her pretty eyes.
I don’t reply as I hold her gaze for long moments.
And then I move. Not toward her. But away. My chest aches, but I know it’s for the best.
Tessa can do better than a man like me, broken and mangled beyond repair. I need to let her go so she can find her real future.
She deserves better than a grumpy mountain man with a chip on his shoulder and a heart that’s grown cold.
Chapter 10
Tessa
Steam curls thick in the small bathroom, fogging the mirror, dampening the edges of everything until the world feels soft and suspended. Lacee’s laughter ricochets off tile as she splashes the last of the bubbles from her arms, her long dark hair slicked back and shining down her shoulders.
“Okay, okay,” I laugh, shielding my face as she sends one final wave of water toward me. “You’re going to flood the entire house.”
“Dad can fix it,” she says confidently, tipping her chin up in that fearless, ten-year-old way. “He fixes everything.”
My mouth curves. “That’s because he likes being needed.”
She squints at me like I’ve just given her a riddle. “He pretends he doesn’t.”
“Most grown men do.”
She snorts and dunks her head under while I rinse the shampoo from her hair, my fingers working carefully through the silky strands. She relaxes under my touch, small shoulders easing, trusting me without question. Something tight in my chest loosens every time she does that.
“Evan teased me again today,” she mutters, water dripping down her lashes as she resurfaces.
“Teased you how?”
