“Your rules,” I say, slower this time. “For now.”
Silence stretches between us.
Then he nods once. “Good.”
And just like that, something shifts.
Not softer. Not easier. But settled. Defined.
The lines are drawn.
The power sits between us, sharp and undeniable.
And for the first time since I got here—I know exactly where I stand.
Right in the middle of something I’m not sure I can walk away from.
Chapter 6
Ethan
She doesn’t sit, doesn’t relax, doesn’t even pretend to. Maddie stays planted in the middle of my cabin like she’s ready to bolt at any second, her arms locked tight over her chest, her gaze moving constantly as she tracks every exit point, every shadow, every shift in the room. The windows. The door. The corners. Me. Mostly me.
I lean back against the counter and take my time watching her in return, letting the silence stretch just long enough to get under her skin.
“You always stare like that?” she asks, her voice edged but steady.
“Only when something’s worth watching.”
Her mouth tightens, but there’s heat there now, something sharper than irritation. Not just anger. Good. That means she’s settling in enough to feel something besides fear.
“You done assessing me?” she mutters.
“Not even close.”
That earns me a glare, sharp and defiant, but it doesn’t stop her eyes from drifting back to me again like she can’t quite help herself.
“Cabin’s small,” she says after a second, like the realization just hit her.
“It is.”
Her gaze shifts toward the bed, then back to me, slow and deliberate this time, like she’s choosing every movement.
“Where am I sleeping?”
I push off the counter and step closer, not all the way, just enough to feel the subtle shift in her breathing.
“Bed’s yours.”
Her brows lift. “And you?”
“Couch.”
She glances at it, taking in the size, the reality of it, then looks back at me with a hint of disbelief.
“You don’t look like you fit on that.”
“I make it work.”
