Page 87 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

“Ah, one cinnamon bun left. I’ll take it, please.” Seb’s eyes sparkled.

I wrapped the pastry, though I wasn’t sure why he wanted it. “You don’t have to pay. It’ll only go to waste otherwise.”

“How generous.” His fingers brushed mine as he accepted the bag.

Emma’s broom scratched against the floor as she swept, her movements deliberately slow.

“I can finish locking up,” I told her. “You should head home early.”

She paused mid-sweep, eyes darting between Seb and me. “Are you sure?”

“Course.” I forced a casual tone. “Go on, you’ve been here since five.”

Emma’s frown deepened as she untied her apron. “Text me when you get home, yeah?”

After she left, silence settled over the bakery, thick as dough, as I caught Seb’s eye and held it.

“We should get going,” he said.

Blood rushed in my ears as every muscle in my body coiled tight. “Not yet.”

Seb’s expression shifted, subtle changes flickering across his features like shadows on water. He remained silent, waiting.

“Look.” I gripped the edge of the counter, steadying myself. “I need to say something, and I need you to just… listen.”

The paper bag crinkled as he set the cinnamon bun down.

“Whatever this is between us—” My voice failed me, and I cleared my throat. “I’m developing… feelings for you. And believe me, I’ve tried not to. But they’re there, whether I like it or not. Whether you like it or not.”

The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words.

“It’s all well and good to joke that you’re justmaking observationswhen you look at me that way, or when you touch my hair, or send me those messages. But we both know it’s more than that.” I forced myself to meet his dark eyes. “The other night proved that. I haven’t been ableto get it out of my head. I saw the way you looked at me then. The way you’re looking at me now.”

It was true. Though his posture remained perfect, the line of his mouth had softened, and those liquid-dark eyes burned with the same heat I remembered—equal parts wanting and warning.

“And before you remind me, I know we can’t… have full-on sex or whatever.” Heat flooded my cheeks, and I tugged at my jumper sleeve, suddenly fascinated by a loose thread. Christ, I sounded so awkward to my own ears. “But that’s okay. I don’t need it. I promise.”

The words caught slightly in my throat, but they were honest enough. That night—just lying there with him in my arms, breathing in the faint scent of him, feeling his cool, solid weight—ithadbeen more than enough. Just having someonethere, someone who saw me, really saw me, made the lonely ache in my chest finally quiet down. It was more than I’d dared hope for back in Braymore Bay, crying on the beach and dreaming of a different life. If that’s all we could have, if that’s all he could give… I’d take it. I just wanted to coax out more of those rare smiles of his, learn the stories behind each tiny crease around his eyes, maybe even drag him away from his paperwork and his cases long enough to remember what living felt like.

I tried to smile at him, to lighten the mood, but my lips wouldn’t obey.

“But I can’t keep dancing around this. I had enough hurt back in Braymore, and I ran away from that, all the way to London. So I need you to decide what this is.”

My fingers trembled, and I clasped my hands together. “Because if you’re just… passing time, or if I’m just interesting because I’m new and convenient, or if this is some vampire thing I don’t understand—I need to know. Now. Before I fall any deeper.”

The words hung in the dimming bakery, raw and honest between us. Seb’s face remained unreadable, but something stirred in those burnt caramel eyes that I first fell into in this very building, a lifetime ago now.

“I can see how lonely you are,” I said. “Even if you do your best to hide it. And I know you got hurt last time. But twenty years is a long timeto keep your heart locked away. And maybe… some chances are worth taking again.”

The pain hit like a bolt of lightning. One moment I stood waiting for Seb’s response, the next my chest exploded in agony. A scream tore from my throat—distant, as if someone else were making the sound. My legs buckled, and the world tilted. The back of my head cracked against the bakery tiles.

White spots danced across my vision. Every breath burned like shards of glass in my lungs. “It hurts!Fuck, it hurts—”

“Flynn!” Seb’s face swam into view above me. His cool hands pressed against my shoulders. “Try to stay still.”

I clutched at my chest, fingers scrabbling against my jumper. The pain radiated outward from my heart in icy waves. My teeth chattered. “It’s never been this bad!”

Seb pushed my hands aside and yanked up my shirt. The sharp intake of his breath sent fresh panic coursing through me.

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