I’m right here, taking all of it and wanting more.
Slowly, he releases his grip and turns me gently in his arms. His big, rough hand cups my cheek and tips my head up so I’m looking at him.
“Well, doll…”
His voice isn’t commanding anymore. It’s searching.
His thumb brushes the last tear from my cheek, his eyes scanning mine like he expects to find regret or fear.
“I warned you,” he says quietly.
“And I didn’t run.”
His jaw tightens slightly, something flickering behind his eyes. “No.” He shakes his head with a slight chuckle. “Yousure didn’t.”
“I’m exactly where I want to be.”
He studies me like he doesn’t quite believe it. Like he was so sure once he showed me the rough, dominant, raw side of himself, I’d finally see what he sees when he looks in the mirror.
“I asked for the real you,” I say. “I told you not to hold back.”
His breath leaves him in a long, controlled exhale. “That wasn’t soft. You deserve soft.”
“I didn’t ask for soft,” I stop him. “I asked foryou.”
For a moment, neither of us moves. His forehead rests against mine, his hand still cupping my face.
And that’s when I understand. He wasn’t trying to push me away. He was testing me.
He showed me all his edges he thought would cut me, seeing if I’d bleed.
I didn’t.
And I chose him. Not in spite of it. Butbecauseof it.
Chapter Ten
Holt
The clouds have mostly broken, and the sky is starting to clear by late afternoon. Normally, I’d be happy to see a major storm move through and leave the mountain alone again.
Today is different.
The air outside still carries the damp, earthy scent of rain-soaked pine, but the late afternoon golden sun streaks are cutting through the shadows as if nothing happened.
There are some branches down I’ll have to clear from around the house and the drive. We’d received a ton of moisture that will be spilling over the banks of some of the smaller creeks down the mountain. And Ihave no doubt there are one or two washed-out roads, but it won’t take long for things to start to dry out.
Which means the roads will be passable again, and whateverthisis…won’t have the excuse of weather anymore.
I glance from the stove, where I’m browning some beef for a stew, over to the couch where Tessa is curled up with her journal.
My breath catches at the sight of her, so easily at home in my cabin, wearing only my shirt, which is slipping off her shoulder just enough to reveal the top of her creamy shoulder.
Whether we’d known it or not, the storm had given us cover to get close without asking too many questions.
Clear skies will bring options. They’ll bring Luke.
I swallow hard and turn my attention back to making us dinner. I can’t think of my best friend yet, or the fact that he’s already called to let Tessa know he’s rescheduled his last meeting and will be on his way back to the mountain sooner than thought.
