Her breath catches.
And then I kiss her.
Right there in the dirt and ash and chaos, I kiss her like I’ve got nothing to lose. Because I nearly did. And it wrecks me, how close I came.
The sirens scream down the road, but all I hear is her.
All I feel is her mouth against mine—desperate, searching, hungry.
“Dumbass.” That’s the first thing Gabe says when the paramedics haul me upright, checking my ribs. “You went in alone,” he grits out, running a hand over his buzzed head. “Again.”
I don’t answer. Ember’s still at my side, breathless from our ash and soot kiss.
“I had to try,” I say.
Gabe glares. “Next time, try not being a hero. That’d be nice.”
“What about Mrs. Vance?”
“She was staying with her sister in Devil’s Peak. The house was empty, Clay.” He stomps off to help the rest of the crew. I wave off the oxygen mask, ignoring the medic’s protests. Ember steps forward, hands still trembling.
“Come on,” she says quietly. “Let’s get you home.”
Back at her place, she fusses.
I let her.
She pushes me down onto the couch and disappears into the bathroom. I hear the faucet, the rustle of towels. Then she returns, kneeling in front of me with a warm rag and eyes that cut straight through me.
“You could’ve died.”
“I didn’t.”
“Not the point.”
She scrubs gently at my cheek, wiping away soot and sweat. Her fingers tremble as they move over my jaw.
“You didn’t listen,” she murmurs. “You just ran in. Like you always do. Alone. No thought for what happens after.”
I catch her wrist. “Thought about you.”
Her lashes flutter. I don’t let go.
“You make everything loud, Ember. Loud in a way I can’t ignore. You think I’m just some broken bastard who’s good with tools, but you?—”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Silence stretches.
“You scare me,” she admits.
My brows draw tight. “Me?”
“How easy it is to fall for you. How much I want this to be real.” Her throat works on a swallow. “I came here with a plan. A lie. And now I don’t know how to keep pretending.”
“I’m not pretending,” I growl.
