Page 155 of Sage Haven
“Relax—” He interrupted.
His grin was slow. Dangerous.
He pushed off the doorway, closing the space between us with those long, easy strides.
“—I’m not complaining about the view.”
My breath hitched.
He was close enough now that I could smell him. That faint blend of cedar, smoke, and something darker that always made my knees weak.
I turned away before he could see the heat blooming on my cheeks.
Focusing on the wine rack, I pulled a bottle of a red, more for distraction than anything else. I poured two glasses with hands that weren’t quite steady, but I managed.
When I handed him his glass, our fingers brushed.
A shiver shot straight through me, quick and hot, as if I’d been struck.
I hoped he hadn’t noticed.
But of course, he had.
He took the glass from me, his eyes holding mine. There was something unreadable there. Something that made my stomach twist in knots.
“Helping yourself to my wine now?” His voice was deceptively light, but the edge was there.
It always was.
I forced a smile, as I responded, “Why? Trying to teach me a lesson about taking things that aren’t mine?”
His quiet laugh was low and rich, the sound of it sliding over me like warm honey.
God, this man.
He could unmake me with a single glance.
We settled at the bar; our bodies close but not touching.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was weighted. Expectant.
Every time his gaze flickered to me, it felt like a touch. Like he was peeling me open without ever laying a hand on me.
And then I asked it.
“Why did you let me stay in your bed?”
The question hung there.
Heavy. Real.
Reich’s gaze never wavered, as he asked, “Why do you think?”
I hated when he did this. Made me work for the answers. Made me say things I wasn’t ready to say. But I thought about it.
I forced myself to.
