Her breath caught. "Brian..."
"I mean it." He lifted his hand and brushed a curl back from her face, letting his fingers linger at her temple. "I don't know what this is between us. I don't know where it's going. But I know I'm not sorry you're here. And I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Not while I'm breathing."
She stared at him, her eyes searching his face for something. Whatever she found there must have been enough, because she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss was soft at first, tentative. A question more than a statement. He answered it by cupping her face in his hands and deepening the contact, letting himself fall into the warmth of her mouth, the sweet pressure of her lips against his.
She tasted like mint toothpaste and something sweeter underneath, something that was purely her. He pulled her closer, and she came willingly, her hands finding his shoulders, his chest, the back of his neck. The fear and adrenaline of the night transmuted into something else, something hotter and more urgent.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes bright with want.
"That was..." she started.
"Yeah." He rested his forehead against hers. "It was."
She laughed, a shaky sound that broke some of the tension. "You're a good kisser, Brian Knight."
"I was going to say the same thing about you."
They sat there for a moment, foreheads touching, breathing each other's air. The bathroom was too small and too bright, the edge of the tub uncomfortable beneath them. But Brian didn't want to move. Didn't want to break whatever spell had fallen over them.
"We should lock up," Tessa said finally. "Make sure everything's secure."
"Yeah." He pulled back reluctantly. "And I should check the fence. See if he left any trace this time."
"In the morning," she said firmly. "You're not going back out there tonight. Not with those feet."
He wanted to argue, but she had a point. And honestly, his feet hurt like hell now that the adrenaline was fading. "Fine. Morning."
They moved through the cottage together, checking locks on windows and doors and making sure the motion lights were still functioning. Brian pulled the curtains closed in the living room, blocking any view from outside.
When they reached the hallway where their bedrooms faced each other, they paused. The air between them felt charged, electric with possibility.
"Will you be okay?" he asked. "Alone?"
She hesitated. Then: "Would it be too much to ask if... if you stayed? Just for tonight. I don't want to be alone right now."
He should say no. They'd just had their first kiss; sharing a bed was moving too fast. There were boundaries that made sense, protocols for situations like this.
But she was looking at him with those green eyes, and the fear in them was real, and he knew he couldn't leave her alone. Not tonight.
"Of course," he said. "Whatever you need."
They settled into her bed, still in their clothes, him on top of the covers and her beneath them. It was awkward at first, the negotiation of space, the uncertainty of where to put arms and legs. But eventually she curled into his side, her head on his shoulder, her hand resting over his heart.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Get some sleep." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I've got you."
The motion lights stayed dark for the rest of the night. But Brian didn't sleep, not really. He lay there in the darkness, listening to Tessa's breathing slow into the rhythm of sleep, feeling the weight of her against his side.
He'd told her he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. He'd meant it with every fiber of his being.
Tomorrow, they'd call the police. Tomorrow, they'd start building a case against whoever was doing this. Tomorrow, the real fight would begin.
But tonight, she was safe in his arms. And that was enough.
Chapter Eleven
