Page 24 of Crossed Paths
That earns me the smallest flicker of a smile, which I count as a win.
“And secondly, yeah. There’s a code. You don’t screw with your best friend’s sister. But if you fall for her?” I pause, brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. “Then there are no rules. Not anymore.”
She swallows, something flickering behind her eyes.
And just like that, I go still. Serious.
“What is this really about, Alex?”
She doesn’t answer.
Just lies there beneath me, her eyes unreadable, her lips parted like she might speak but hasn’t decided how yet.
And she lets me hang.
The silence stretches. Not long in seconds, maybe, but long enough for every buried fear to start crawling its way back up my throat.
God. What if this is it?
What if last night, this morning, was just a moment for her? A flicker of something she needed in the dark, but nothing she wants to carry into the daylight?
I thought I could handle this. Thought if all I ever got was one night, I’d take it. Gratefully. Quietly.
But now?
Now I’ve kissed her with everything I’ve got. Now I know what she sounds like when she gasps my name. Iknow the way her body curves into mine in the quiet, the way she says "Hunter" like it means something. Like I mean something.
And if she walks away now, if she looks me in the eye and tells me this was just… something to help her feel again, I honestly don’t know if I’ll come back from it.
Then, barely louder than breath, she whispers, “I’m scared.”
I lock eyes with her. “Why?”
“Because after my marriage imploded, I told myself I was done with all of this. With feelings. With wanting. Who needs that kind of pain?”
I stay quiet. Let her speak.
“I built a life that didn’t rely on anyone. I made things simple. Safe. And now... I don’t know how to let someone back in. Not really. Not when there’s a chance it could all fall apart again.”
I nod slowly, the lump in my throat thick and sharp. “That’s funny.”
She looks up, surprised.
“Because I’m petrified of you walking away. Of giving you everything and watching you decide it’s too much. That I’m too much. That we’re not worth the fallout.”
Her eyes search mine, wide and uncertain.
“And yet,” she says quietly, “you still want more.”
“Yes.” I don’t hesitate. “Becauseyouare worth the risk.”
Her eyes scan my face like she’s searching for cracks, for signs I might not mean it. I hold her gaze, steady as I can, letting her see everything.
Then, slowly, she leans up and presses the softest kiss to the base of my throat, right over my Adam’s apple. Herlips are warm, lingering there just a second longer than necessary.
She mumbles against my skin, “Okay. Let’s give it a try.”
My chest tightens—relief, disbelief, something close to joy.
