“That’s how we work,” I corrected.
The wind gusted off the water, and Mila shivered slightly.
I moved without thinking, tugging her closer, folding her into my chest. Her arms wound around my back, gripping me with quiet force.
I rested my mouth near her temple. “You’re not a consequence,” I murmured. “You’re the only one I want in my arms every night and the best part of my day. We’ll make it through the next few months and have that freedom soon.”College couldn’t come fast enough. We both needed out of Blackwood.
Her breath hitched, and she turned her face into my hoodie, holding there as if she needed the fabric between us to keep her from breaking.
I pulled her closer, fingers spreading across her back, keeping her steady. The world could pull at us all it wanted. It would have to go through me first.
Mila lifted her head, eyes bright in the low light. “You’re going to hate me for this.”
I went still. “Do not.”
She gave me a look that held apology without surrender. “I’m going to say it anyway.”
I didn’t move. I didn’t interrupt. I let her have the space.
Her voice dropped to something soft and raw. “Sometimes I think I’m dragging you deeper. I think I’m the reason people keep coming for you.”
Fuck, I thought she was breaking up with me. Still… My jaw tensed. The instinct to deny came fast, but I forced myself to answer the right way.
“You’re not dragging me,” I replied. “This shit that happens here—it’s normal. It’s how I’m used to living. It has nothing to do with you being with me.”
Mila blinked once.
I kept going. “I chose you. I keep choosing you. You don’t get to protect me by stepping away.”
Her throat moved. “You can’t tell me you don’t have a future on the line.”
“I have a future,” I corrected, holding her gaze. “I also have you. Those are not enemies.”
Her lips parted, but no words came.
I lifted her hand and pressed my mouth to her knuckles, slow and deliberate. The kiss was not performative. It was a promise.
When I looked up, her expression had shifted, softer around the edges, as if my words had given her something to hold on to.
“I hate Blackwood,” she whispered.
“I do too,” I admitted.
Her mouth curved faintly. “Then why do I feel safe with you here?”
“Because I’ll always protect you,” I answered.
Mila’s eyes held mine, then she leaned in and kissed me.
This kiss started soft then deepened with the kind of need that had been building all day. Her fingers fisted in my shirt, pulling me closer. My hands moved to her waist then up her back, holding her with care and intensity at the same time.
I kissed her until my lungs demanded air and my body wanted more than a beach bonfire could allow. When I pulled back, my forehead rested against hers.
Mila’s breath came shallow. “If we keep doing this, I feel like Avery is going to throw something at us.”
“Let her try it,” I murmured.
Her laugh slipped out, quiet and relieved.
