The kiss stole my breath. Snow spun around us, cold against my skin and heat everywhere else. He caught my chin on a groan, his mouth taking me deeper, until the porch light blurred to nothing.
The door banged open, flooding us with a rush of warmth and the scent of pine. We stumbled inside, kicked off ourboots, mouths still searching. Mittens, hats, coats—one by one—slipped to the floor.
Grant’s hands framed my face, walking us backward, his mouth slanting over mine like I was a gift he couldn’t open fast enough. One hand slid into my hair, the other found my waist, becoming my anchor in this blizzard we’d created.
He tasted like peppermint, and everywhere he touched burned. I’d spent months—years—pretending I didn’t want this. So certain something else was out there. That what was already in front of me was too broken to fix.
“Valerie,” he breathed against my mouth, the sound breaking around the edges.
I kissed him harder. We stumbled toward the stairs; the moment giving way to something hungrier. When my foot slipped on the first step, he caught me hard against him, his fingers finding mine and lacing tight.
“Careful,” he murmured, somehow steady in the chaos. “Can’t let you get hurt.”
He guided me upward, his thumb tracing slow circles against my skin. His restraint was maddening, but he had the look of a man who wasn’t going to risk anything—determined to take his time when every instinct in me begged him to rush.
At the top of the landing, he turned and pressed my back against the wall, breath uneven.
“Tell me you’re sure,” he said, the ache in his tone twisting inside my chest. “Tell me again.”
“Yes. I want you.”
It was all he needed. His hands slid beneath my thighs, lifting me as if it were effortless. I wrapped my arms around his neck, our mouths finding each other again.
He carried me the rest of the way, the hallway narrowing to his heartbeat and the creak of the door as he kicked it open. He laid me down gently, arms braced around me.
There was something in his eyes—fierce ice blue, a stark contrast to the teasing glint I’d grown used to. But both were Grant, and I wanted them equally. Even knowing I might lose everything.
“This doesn’t have to change anything,” I whispered, my breath shaking. “If you’re not—”
His mouth brushed the corner of mine. “You change everything, Spells.”
Then he kissed me, deep enough to rewrite every rule between us.
The lantern flickered once and went out. I didn’t need it anymore. Not with him—safe from everything. There were no cases to solve, no marriage contracts to escape. Just us. Exactly where I wanted to be.
Chapter 22
Valerie
The sun was brilliant.If a burning ball of hydrogen and helium could smile, it was grinning from ear to ear, nearly blinding me with its intensity.
Then again, maybe that was just me.
Grant’s arm was draped across my hip, heavy and possessive in sleep. I shifted closer, almost greedy for more of that morning-after glow. My back fit to the slow rise and fall of his chest, his breath tickling the back of my neck.
We’d sung carols in the driving snow, spectacularly tarnishing the reputation of the seasonal pastime, and ended up here, tangled together. Marriage officially sealed. Twice.
Holy smokes. Stop grinning, you absolute goof.
I bit my lip to flatten the smile and stared at the ceiling. The decorative tiles offered no help. Neither did the man behind me, who tightened his hold as if his subconscious refused to let go. My heart performed a small, traitorous interpretive dance. Fine. It was a twerk and a fist pump.
The sun and my heart were seriously personified this morning. And then my heart went broody.
What happens now?
If this were a tequila sunrise, we were in that fizzing, heady phase, the golden colors swirling around us. But even in my imagination, I could see that umbrella, taste the sweetness of the cherry. This could be something more.
I'd always believed in love at first sight. At first laugh. In all the beautiful moments that followed. I’d seen it spark so many times for other people, certain I'd sprint straight for it when it finally happened to me.
