The air outside was cooler, as a breeze off the water cut through the humidity. They stopped at the top landing of the porch steps, and he turned to tell her good night.
He didn’t get that far.
She rose to her toes and kissed him—slow atfirst, then with a hunger that stole every thought right out of his head. He cupped her jaw, his thumb brushing her cheek, and kissed her back like he’d been waiting days for it. Maybe he had.
Her hands slid to his chest, fingers fisting lightly in his shirt. Heat bloomed across his chest and rolled through him.
He deepened the kiss, backing her gently against the porch post, trying to keep some sliver of sanity intact—and losing ground fast. Her breath hitched softly, and he felt it like a spark that went straight to his cock.
Then—
A car door slammed somewhere on the street.
They froze.
Her breath was still warm on his lips, her fingers curled tight in his shirt. Footsteps crunched over the gravel—soft, but loud enough to shatter the moment like a snapped branch.
Tess cleared her throat as her cheeks flushed. “Uh… sounds like Andy’s home.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t step back immediately. Couldn’t. He stole one more slow kiss—quiet, lingering, enough to tell her leaving was the last thing he wanted to do.
But he made himself go, brushing his thumb along her jaw before heading down the stairs.
Halfway down, someone rounded the corner of the house. Andy.
Brian instinctively prepared for the old tension—the guarded look, the careful distance.
Instead, the kid lifted a hand in a quick, casual wave. “Hey.”
He blinked. “Hey.”
Not exactly a conversation for the history books, but hell, it was civil. Better than civil, actually. Ever since the night Brian had mentioned the Rad-Wars tickets, Andy had been... not friendly, exactly, but open in a way he hadn’t been before.
Andy kept walking, heading up the steps with a small grin Brian couldn’t quite place.
Brian didn’t fool himself—the teenager wasn’t smiling because the special agent who’d once hauled him into an interview room had suddenly become his favorite person. Something else had clearly put him in a good mood.
Maybe he’d been out on a date. Maybe he’d had a good day.
Whatever the reason, Brian wasn’t going to overthink it. He’d take the win.
He glanced back once—Tess was still on the landing, watching him with that soft look that made his chest tight in the best way.
As he headed to his truck, the faint taste of her kiss lingered on his lips.
Chapter 23
Andy had the beach house to himself. It was his day off, and Tess was still at work. The house was quiet—no dishes clinking in the sink or the low murmur of her on the phone carrying through the rooms. Just the hum of the air conditioner and the occasional gull screeching somewhere outside.
He sprawled across the couch, a video explaining game design running on one side of his screen while he scrolled through a forum debating the pros and cons of the new Ghost Thread expansion. His fingers tapped restlessly on the keys. He couldn’t sit still. Not since the run-in with Diego and his crew a few days ago.
He wasn’t scared—okay, he was, but not enough to admit it, even to himself. Mostly, he was pissed they’d cornered him in front of Kelle. He’d thought about telling Tess. For maybe three seconds. Then heimagined the look on her face—fear, worry, the tight edge of disappointment—and that shut him up fast.
His phone buzzed against his thigh.
Unknown Local Number.
His stomach dipped.
