Page 69 of Roulette Rodeo
"Let me have him. He likes me better."
Duke wags his tail in agreement, and Shiloh laughs.
The sound transforms him. The controlled soldier, the man who'd paid a hundred million dollars without blinking, disappears. In his place is someone younger, lighter, someone who might have been if the world had been kinder.
My heart does something complicated in my chest, and before I know what I'm doing, I'm giggling too. Real, uncontrolled giggling at the absurdity of it all—me in silk pajamas and too-big boots, covered in dirt and dog hair, trying to steal this deadly man's pet while he stands there looking like every fantasy I've never let myself have.
Then his expression shifts.
He crouches down in front of me, movements careful like I might spook. His hand comes up slowly, telegraphing his intentions, before settling against my cheek with a gentleness that makes my breath catch.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, little cherry."
His voice is soft, so soft I have to strain to hear it even though he's right there.
But it's his eyes that stop my heart.
He's looking at me like I died. Like I actually died and he had to watch it happen, and now I'm here, miraculous and impossible. The naked emotion in those forest-green depths makes my chest ache in ways I don't have words for.
No one has ever looked at me like this.
Like I matter.
As if my absence would leave a hole in the world.
I don't think, just move, leaning in until my lips brush his.
It's barely a kiss, more breath than contact, but it feels like the small touch can heal a wound that’s bleeding, hidden from my eyes.
"Don't look so sad," I whisper against his mouth. "It doesn't suit you."
We stay frozen for a moment, sharing breath, sharing space, his hand still cupping my cheek like I'm something precious. His eyes search mine, looking for something—permission maybe, or understanding, or just proof that I'm real.
Then he nods, slow and careful, and leans in until his forehead rests against mine.
"Just stay like this," he murmurs, and his voice cracks slightly on the words. "Just for a moment."
I don't understand what's gotten into him, what's made this controlled warrior suddenly vulnerable.
But I don't push or question.
I close my eyes and breathe him in—sweat, sawdust, and safety—while Duke settles against our sides like he's standing guard.
The forest whispers around us, leaves falling like snow, and for this moment—just this moment—everything else fades away.
The contracts, the money, the uncertainty of what happens now that I’ve been sold to the highest bidder.
All that exists is this:his skin against mine, his breath matching my breath, our foreheads pressing together.
This sense of touch.
I hope to embrace it just a little longer.
Until I’m forced into my new reality.
STORMS AND REVELATIONS
~SHILOH~
