“Yeah.” I paused. “Never what you’d call… passionate. They have a pretty loveless marriage, ruled by inertia.”
She nodded like she understood. “Mom is sort of that way, but for different reasons. I’ve been afraid of ending up the same way. Afraid to want anything beyond the resort and Finn.”
An ache tugged in my chest, hearing her open up like this. It was both a relief and a connection, knowing she had similar doubts and fears. I wanted to say something that would tell her she wasn’t alone. Something that told her how much tonight meant to me, too.
“I’ll say it again,” I said as I brushed my knuckles overher cheek. “You deserve nights like this a lot more than just once in a while.”
She stared at me, and I saw the flicker of hope she was trying to hold onto.
“You really think we can do this?” Her words were almost a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile possibility between us.
“Yeah,” I said, pulling her closer. “I really do.”
Her lips met mine and the brush of skin felt like everything sliding into place. Like we were the only two people in the world, the kind of kiss that said things words couldn’t.
We were standing before I knew it, our hands tangling and reaching, guiding each other. She led me to the bedroom in a blur, a soft rush of color and taste. And raw desire. I’d never wanted anything more than to make her feel how I did.
Seen. Real.
The room faded as we moved together. It was more than a moment. It was a choice.
I woke first.Soft light filtered through the curtain, painting Harper beside me. Her hair spilled over the pillow like the start of a perfect day. Her breath was slow, her face soft and unguarded.
I’d grown up in a house where emotions were as rare as snowstorms in the Keys. My parents didn’t fight, didn’t cry, didn’t laugh. Just a steady monotone of existence. I learned early to keep things under wraps. How else was I supposed to act? It worked fine when my life was all about jobs and architecture, but Harper was different. She made me want more than fine, and I wasn’t sure how to accomplish that.
My heart was a contradiction of speed and weight,each beat echoing the undeniable shift between us. I could lose myself in this, in her, and it scared me. It scared me because I wanted it.
Because I already knew how much it would hurt if it slipped away.
