Page 60 of To Catch a Firefly

“Fine,” I say softly, knuckles grazing his cheek. I have the briefest pulse ofawerush through me at being able to touch him this way, but I push it aside. Not the time. Sitting up, I hold out my hand and pull Lucky with me.

“Fuck,” he says, settling his back against the wall. He rubs his palms over his face, hands shaking.

“Need to check,” I say, pointing out from our position, and Lucky nods. He eyes the ceiling, as do I. But considering there’s not a thing I can do about the structural integrity of the house, I do my best to ignore that potential danger as I go to the toppled radio. The volume got lowered when it fell off the shelf, so I turn it back up, grateful for the light that lets me see the controls.

“Second tornado has touched down near Webster. All residents advised to seek cover immediately.”

“Jesus,” Lucky says, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

I head back his way with the radio, setting it in front of us as I take a seat next to Lucky, shoulder pressed to his. He grabs my arm, and I nudge a kiss against the side of his head, breathing him in as my heart rate returns to normal. I don’t like sittingdown here, knowing the danger that lurks above, but it would be even less safe for us to be out in the open right now. I just pray our ceiling will hold for as long as we need it to.

“Could’ve…been in Crete,” I say, hoping to lighten the mood.

I should have expected Lucky’s shove. “Stop that,” he says, voice hard. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be right now, Ellis. Thinking of you here alone…”

He doesn’t finish his thought, but he looks haunted. Even more so in the dark shadows playing across the room.

“Wish you were safe,” I tell him.

“I am,” he says. “I’m always safe with you.”

My pulse kicks up at that, and I don’t know what to say.

“Parents,” I realize aloud, pulling my phone from my pocket as Lucky does the same. The tornadoes are nowhere near them, but still.

“Do you have any service?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“Me neither, but if we send a text, it should go through if we get a bar.”

I nod, and we both type out messages. I imagine my mom is worried sick, not knowing if I’m safe.

Lucky drops his phone beside him when he’s done. His foot taps the ground, and his fingers drift through his tangled hair. I grab his hand, holding it between my own, and he offers me a wan smile.

“What a fucking day,” he says.

I bring his palm up to my lips, kissing it gently, and his expression softens.

“Silver linings and all, huh?” he says, gaze on my mouth before it lifts slowly to mine. “Ellis.”

My throat feels hoarse. “Luck.”

“How long?” he asks quietly.

I swallow, looking down at his hand tucked between my own. In the end, I shrug because I’m not entirely sure when the turning point was or if I was always on a slow path toward falling in love with Lucky. Not that he’s asking about love, exactly. But it was always love when it came to him. That I know for certain.

His lips twitch a little, and he resituates against the wall, letting his knee bump into my leg. “We’re going to date,” he says simply. Bluntly. “We’re not skipping that part.”

I nod, pulse jumping.

“And we’re going to dothata lot,” he adds, nodding down toward my crotch, where the sticky evidence of my orgasm is hidden away. I can feel my cheeks heat, but Lucky’s smile has my chest warming, too. “No more holding back, okay, El? Not for either of us.”

I nod in a sharp jerk.

“We’ve been such idiots,” he says, head leaned against the stone wall. His eyes sweep over my face, but there’s a softness on his. A gentle sort of happiness, despite his words. His voice, when he speaks again, is a whisper. “I’ve wanted you for such a long time.”

My breath quickens. I’m still having a hard time believing that. That this brilliant man in front of me wants me as—what? A boyfriend? A partner? As more? It’s almost too much, and I think it’s going to take me some time to catch up. To truly wrap my head around it.

---