The kiss deepened without either of us deciding it should.
My hand moved instinctively along her side, drawing her closer as the quiet moment between us deepened into something stronger. Her lips parted beneath mine. The quiet sound that escaped her broke the last of my restraint.
Weeks of tension. The pressure of everything surrounding us. All of it poured into the kiss.
She tugged me down harder, as if she refused to leave any space between us. I followed the movement automatically, one hand bracing against her back while the other remained at her neck, keeping her close.
For a moment, nothing else existed. Not the investigation. Not my family. Not the war unfolding around both of us.
Just Mila. The warmth of her mouth. The steady beat of her heart against my chest.
When she finally pulled away, the movement came slowly, our breaths tangled between us.
Her forehead rested against mine, her fingers still threaded through my hair. “We wasted a lot of time fighting each other when I came back to town.”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “We’re not doing that again.”
She studied my expression before smiling.
And sitting outside with Mila tucked against my side, the future felt clearer than it had in months.
Whatever truths still waited beneath the surface of my family’s empire would come eventually. The life I was building now had nothing to do with those walls.
It had everything to do with her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MILA
Iheard the knock just after ten—loud and deliberate against the quiet of the house. We had been outside for a while, the fire crackling low as Mom insisted on making s’mores like things were normal again. At some point, she told me to text Luke and have him come over. So I did.
Luke:I’m at your place.
Mom and Edwardo were out back by the fire pit, their voices low and steady through the screen door. I crossed the living room and pulled the front door open.
Luke stood on the porch beneath the soft yellow glow of the overhead light, his posture relaxed but alert, hands shoved into his pockets as his gaze flicked briefly past me before settling back on my face. I went to him without hesitation, the familiar pull stronger than anything else. “Hey.”
His gaze held mine for a second, steady and controlled before it shifted past me toward the backyard, where the firelight flickered. “So, s’mores.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.
I rolled my eyes then grabbed his hand. “Come on.”
We walked through the living room then out the kitchen door, the glow of the fire growing stronger with each step. The low murmur of conversation carried through the night, calm and unguarded in a way that felt unfamiliar after everything that’d happened.
Mom looked up first when we came into view. “Luke.”
Edwardo’s attention shifted immediately, his posture aligning as his gaze moved between us.
Luke gave a short nod. “Evening.”
I dropped onto the chair beside the fire, tucking my legs in as the warmth brushed against my skin. Luke took the chair to my left, and I passed him a skewer then a marshmallow.
Edwardo rotated a marshmallow slowly over the flame. “You picked a good night for this.”
Mom smiled faintly, watching the fire. “It’s been a while since things felt calm.”
Luke’s phone buzzed. He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down at the screen. The shift in him was immediate—subtle enough that no one else would notice, but I felt it in the way his body stilled beside me.
I leaned slightly toward him, and he passed me his skewer. The fire crackled softly, sending a brief spray of sparks into the night. “What is it?”