My hands settle carefully at her waist.
Not pulling.
Not demanding.
Just holding.
Giving her every chance in the world to walk away.
She doesn't.
If anything, she moves closer.
The porch light catches in her red hair.
Her green eyes flutter closed.
And God help me, I think I'm in trouble.
Real trouble.
Because this doesn’t feel like pretending.
Nothing about this is fake.
Not anymore.
Hell.
Maybe it never was.
When we finally pull apart, we're both breathing a little harder.
Staring at each other.
Neither of us is moving.
Neither of us is looking away.
“Kai?”
“Yeah?”
A shy smile appears.
One I've never seen before.
Not the sarcastic one.
Not the professional one.
Not the smile she gives everybody else.
This one feels like it's just for me.
“My mom's on a weekend trip.”
I blink.