Though now that she thought about it, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she’d spelled it out. She’d been too busy letting him teach her how to work with Ripley, too caught up in stolen kisses between training sessions.
Too wrapped up in how easy he made everything feel.
“Same difference.” The words felt hollow even to her own ears.
“No.” He shifted to the edge of the bed but didn’t stand. Still giving her space while refusing to back down completely. Classic Noah to read her so well that he figured out what she needed before she did. “It’s not. And you know it.”
Heat pricked behind her eyes. She blinked hard, hating how he could slice through her defenses with nothing but quiet certainty. The same way he approached everything—confident, steady, unflinching.
She’d never met anyone like him. That was the problem.
“What do you want from me, Noah?”
It came out far less demanding than she’d have preferred.
“Nothing you’re not ready to give.” The simple honesty in his voice hit her like a falling rock, impossible to dodge. “I just wanted you to know where I stand. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Another sharp laugh escaped her. As if his words hadn’t just triggered an avalanche that threatened to bury everything she’d carefully constructed. “You drop this bomb on me and act like it’s no big deal?”
Her fingers itched for something to climb, some physical challenge to tackle. Anything to escape the intensity of his gaze, the way he seemed to see straight through to all the dark places she tried to keep hidden.
“It is a big deal.” He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up in ways that shouldn’t make her heart clench. “But if you’re afraid, it doesn’t have to change anything you’re not ready to change.”
She stared at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to get angry, push back, prove that he was just like all the others who didn’t have any intention of sticking with her no matter what.
Instead, he just sat there, radiating that impossible patience that made her want to throw something at his head. Or kiss him. Maybe both.
“I’m not afraid.” The denial felt like chalk dust on her tongue, dry and bitter. Her father’s voice echoed in her head:Fear is for the weak. Winners don’t show weakness.
His eyebrow lifted. “No? Then why are you halfway to the door?”
She glanced down, realizing she had unconsciously shifted toward the exit, her body already plotting an escape route she hadn’t consciously chosen. Heat crawled up her neck. “I don’t run from things.”
“Exactly.” Something knowing flickered in his eyes. Like he’d been waiting for her to arrive at this exact point, the sneaky jerk. “So, why start now?”
The question sliced through all the barriers she’d tried to place between them. He was right—running wasn’t her style. She tackled everything head-on, at full speed, screw the consequences. It was her trademark, her defining characteristic.
Except this felt different. Scarier than any exposed ridgeline or technical climbing sequence. At least with those, she knew the rules. Keep three points of contact. Check your gear. Trust your training.
But there was no training manual for this. No safety gear to check. Just Noah and his steady presence and these impossible feelings that threatened to sweep her away like a flash flood.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” The words came out small and fragile as a spider web.
“Say you’ll stay.” He held out a hand but didn’t move closer. Another classic Noah move—offering connection while letting her choose whether to take it. “Say we can keep being us, keep having fun, keep figuring this out together. That’s all I’m asking for.”
She stared at his outstretched hand. The same one that had guided her through SAR training, steadied her on climbs, traced fire across her skin.
It would be easy to take his hand. She wanted to.
She didn’t move.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” His voice held absolute certainty, the kind that could weather any storm. “No pressure. No timeline. No expectations beyond what you’re ready for.”
“But you just said…”
“That I’ve fallen for you. Yeah.”
