Page 128 of Burning For You

That was the last thing he wanted. To push her away.

To make her feel alone. Especially here, with him, when he was supposed to be the one person she didn’t have to brace herself around.

He wasn’t going to let that happen again.

He stepped closer, sat next to her, careful not to crowd her, and rested his forearms on his knees so they were on the same level. No towering. No pressure. Just there.

“You don’t owe anyone answers tonight,” he said. “Not my family. Not the police. Not me.” His mouth tightened on that last part. “We’ll get through this, Skye. I promise.”

She studied his face like she was trying to decide if she could afford to believe him. Finally, she nodded once. Small. Cautious. But still holding strong.

Still not walking away from him like she’d done in the past.

And maybe at the root of it all, that was part of his fear.

That she’d say she had enough and vanish from his life.

For him not to see her. Hold her. Protect her.

That he’d be blamed by her family for forcing her out.

“I’m tired,” she admitted. “Of feeling like I’m the problem.”

“You’re not,” he said immediately. Too fast. Too sure. “You’re the one standing in the middle of a mess someone else made. You got pulled in and don’t deserve it, but you’re here and we’ll face it together.”

Her shoulders sagged beneath the fleece, some of the fight leaking out of her. He reached for her hand, slow enough that she could pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t. Her fingers curled around his like it was instinct.

That small act nearly undid him.

They sat there in silence for a minute, the porch swing creaking softly as the night wrapped around them. Inside, he could hear the muffled sounds of his family moving around, voices low and tense. The world was still spinning, still dangerous, but for the moment, it felt contained.

He could do this. Be steady. Be solid. Be what she needed.

Even if it cost him.

Because the unspoken truth was rooted in his heart: he was already in deeper than she was. He had been for a long time. Long before she came back to town. Long before she kissed him. Long before she crawled into his bed and made him believe, just for a few hours, that wanting her didn’t hurt.

He loved her.

There. He’d admitted it to himself, at least.

But loving Skye meant protecting her, not weighing her down with feelings she might not be ready for. It meant standing beside her without asking for more. It meant swallowing the fear that one day she’d look at him and realize whatever she felt wasn’t the same thing.

So he locked it down and buried it deep.

For now, it was enough that she leaned into him, her head finding his shoulder like it belonged there. Enough that she let out a slow breath and stayed.

They would get through this.

And if he had to love her quietly, silently, until she was safe enough to breathe again, then that was a price he’d pay without hesitation.

“We can’t stay out here all night, even if I want to.”

“We can stay as long as you need. If anyone understands, it’s my family.”

She laughed. A forced sound. “It seems like trouble follows you guys around.”

“And we stick together. We’ll go in when you’re ready.”