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Without saying a word, Leo dipped his head and pulled her closer, sealing his lips to hers. His mouth glided against her own as his hand moved to cup the nape of her neck, his lips tipping her mouth open to his, inviting her to him. An invitation to let go, to get lost in a magical moment, in a field of grapevines and fireflies.

A different kind of tingling sensation took form. This time it built from her heart, traveling to her stomach, her inner thighs, and down to her toes. Her mind was on how she felt. The feel of his strong hands gripping her, holding her close. The feel of his velvety tongue as it collided with her own. The burning desire in her chest to want more, for the hand at her neck to slip beneath her linen dress and down her body. Her desire was fierce, and it was nothing like she had ever experienced.

She stopped, detached her lips from his, and blinked up at him.

His brow furrowed. “You okay?”

She nodded, unsure of what to even say. Unsure how to articulate what had come over her. The feeling was so intense it scared her.

His grip loosened. “I should have asked before I did that. I’m sorry.”

Alana shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not.”

He nodded. “I just…” He hesitated, twisting a lock of her hair around his finger, then tucking it behind her ear. “When it comes to you, Alana, all I want to do is take. I can’t seem to think straight.”

She couldn’t understand that—a desire so fierce that all you wanted to do was take. Alana only ever knew how to run.

Maybe she needed to learn to take more herself.

She wrapped an arm around Leo’s neck and pulled him back to her.

Leo hummed as his lips collided with hers again, his arms wrapping around her waist tight as he pulled her closer. His mouth moved at a faster pace, and she let him taste her and touch her. Everywhere his hands or mouth moved set her nerves crackling with sparks of desire.

Passion, she thought. This was passion. Leo was a man full of it, and he’d never had the freedom to express such a deep emotion. Not until he’d come to Marien.

It all made sense to her now, why Otto was adamant about Leo staying. Here, among the vines and the dirt, Leo was free to be himself. And in his own gentle way, he was creating the space for her to do the same.

Yes, her head told her to stop. To run.

But her heart kept saying stay. And for the first time in a long, long time, Alana decided to listen.

He held her in the field for a long moment, dropping kisses on her lips and down her neck. They didn’t speak as they made their way back to the barn, dropping their hands before entering, glancing at one another in an unspoken agreement. They would wait to tell the rest. For now, this was a secret between the two of them.

Plus, Alana had no idea how to tell Freya without the sneering comments of I told you so. How could she possibly explain to her sister that this was different? How could she possibly put into words what had happened? In a tiny magical moment, the ground had shifted beneath her feet. Something drastic had changed inside of her. There was something very different for her this time around.

With Chris, she’d yearned for that kind of desire, for a pull that felt like the strongest magnetic force, drawing them apart but screaming to bring them back together. Chris was comfortable and safe.

Leo was also safe, but in a way that was hard to conceptualize. He had become a guidepost in a time when she needed guiding, and she was addicted to how he made her feel. She was like one of the moths that fluttered around Seneca Lake, drawn so easily to the heat of a flame.

As the haze of her desire and the moment lifted, she eventually took stock of what was happening in the barn. Tess and Cal had disappeared somewhere. So had Chris.

Sophie was sitting on a haybale with Penny and Chelsea sandwiched at her sides. They were consoling her sister through big, sloppy tears.

Alana rushed over and kneeled before her. “Soph, what’s wrong?”

Sophie shook her head, wiping at her eyes. She swayed slightly. “I-it’s nothinnng,” she blubbered. “I think I had tooooo much to drink.”

Alana nodded, cupping her hands underneath Sophie’s shoulders and pulling her up. “Come on, Bean. Let’s get you to bed.”

The girls helped Alana as they collected Sophie’s things and exited the barn.

Leo touched Alana’s shoulder. “Everything okay?”

Sophie swayed by Alana’s side.

“I think too much wine,” Alana admitted.

Leo nodded, then bent over to scoop Sophie into his arms. He carried her through the vineyard, the rest of them following. Leo took her right up the stairs as Alana made sure Penny and Chelsea were settled on the couches in the living room. When she eventually made her way to the second floor, she noticed Sophie’s room was empty—and the bathroom light was aglow. The sound of retching reached her down the hall.