Laney didn’t argue. Her body was aching even more now, and her eyes burned from holding back tears and from keeping watch too long.
“I’ll run one more check of the security system,” Garrett added, his voice low but firm. “Then I’ll turn in myself.”
“Thanks,” Laney said softly. Harlan echoed the same.
They left Garrett in the foyer and made their way upstairs. The house was hushed, filled only with the hum of the air conditioning and the faint creak of the old wood under their steps.
They paused just outside the tent room door. Laney eased it open just enough to peek inside. Evie was curled up in her sleeping bag, hair fanned out like a halo, her little chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths. Carol lay stretched across the bed, sound asleep, her hand resting protectively on the edge of the mattress near her granddaughter.
Laney’s throat tightened at the sight, relief warming her even through the exhaustion. She glanced at Harlan, then closed the door quietly.
Across the hall, the two guest rooms stood side by side, both neatly made up. She motioned toward them, her voice a rough whisper. “You can take your pick.”
Harlan glanced at the two guest rooms, his eyes lingering for a moment before he let out a long sigh. Instead of choosing, he stepped closer and pulled her into his arms.
Laney melted against him without hesitation. The tension she had been holding in her shoulders gave way, and for the first time in hours she allowed herself to simply breathe. She welcomed the hug. Needed it.
Needed him.
His solid presence eased the ache of fear and exhaustion, grounding her in a way nothing else could.
The timing was all wrong, the hour late, the world outside their walls still dark and dangerous. But when she lifted her head and found his eyes, her heart overruled her logic.
She kissed him.
It wasn’t a tentative brush this time. It was need and exhaustion and longing poured into one reckless act.
The kiss instantly deepened, hotter now, all the tension and fear of the night bleeding out through the press of their mouths. Harlan’s hand slid against the small of her back, steady and sure, guiding her as if he had made the decision for both of them.Without breaking the kiss, he steered her toward one of the guest rooms.
Laney clutched at his shirt, her pulse racing as though she had been running. The door shut behind them, muffling the silence of the hallway. The world shrank to the warmth of his arms, the strength of his body against hers, the unspoken truth that they both needed this. Needed each other.
Her thoughts flickered briefly to Evie, to her mom, to Garrett just down the hall. If anything happened, she would hear it. She could be there in an instant. But in this moment, with Harlan’s mouth on hers and his touch pulling her closer, she let go of that constant edge of worry.
Laney gave in to the kiss.
She gave in to Harlan.
Harlan’s hands were steady as he slid the holster from her shoulder and set it aside. His mouth never left hers, his kiss both urgent and grounding, anchoring her against the back of the door as if he couldn’t bear to let her go.
Laney’s pulse raced when his fingers brushed her skin, tugging her shirt free. The soft scrape of fabric leaving her body sent a shiver through her, and she pressed closer, matching his hunger with her own. She needed more. Needed him.
With impatient hands she pushed at the bulk of his gear, ridding him of the layers that separated them until she found the warmth of him beneath. His shirt joined hers on the floor, and when her palms met his bare skin, the last of her hesitation slipped away.
Still locked in the kiss, they moved together, unsteady but desperate, until the mattress caught them and they tumbled down. The weight of him above her was both protection and promise. She breathed his name against his lips, her fingers gripping his shoulders, pulling him even closer.
For the first time in far too long, she wasn’t thinking about threats or fear. Just Harlan.
Just this.
Harlan’s hands moved with a purpose that made her breath catch. Every kiss deepened, every touch stoked the fire inside her until the rest of the world fell away. He slid his palms along her sides, slow but certain, and soon she felt the last barrier of clothing slipping away under his touch.
Her skin tingled everywhere he grazed, the intensity building until she could hardly breathe for wanting more. She needed him, here, now, and her own hands fumbled against his body, tugging impatiently at the layers still between them. She felt the heat of his skin, the strength of him, and the urgency in her movements matched the urgency in his.
They were lost to this heat and need, lost to each other, every kiss a promise, every brush of his hands a reminder of just how much she wanted this man. The need between them sharpened into something undeniable, and as she pulled at the rest of his clothes, her heart hammered with the certainty that there was no turning back.
Harlan’s touch steadied, his breath warm against her skin as he pulled back just long enough to reach for his wallet. She caught the glint of foil in the dim light, and her heart fluttered with the sudden awareness of how real this was, how much she wanted it.
When his hands returned to her, she welcomed him without hesitation. Their eyes met, and for a breathless moment the world seemed to hold still. Then he pressed closer, filling the space between them until she could feel nothing but him.
