The air outside is damp and thick with the scent of rain. At least it's only sprinkling now. Mist curls along the ground, swirling under the porch light, but my attention zeroes in on Kane.
He makes it impossible to look at anything else.
His pace is deliberate and unhurried. He wants me to feel the weight of every second he makes me wait, I'm sure of it.
I cross my arms. “So, what is it? Some elaborate excuse to get me alone?”
He huffs a quiet laugh, shaking his head as he opens the passenger door, leaning in. “You give me too much credit.”
My pulse spikes and heat crawls under my skin. When he straightens and turns back to me, our eyes catch—and hold.
Thunder rolls overhead, dragging my mind straight to the greenhouse. To the way his hands were gripping my thighs.
He moves in, and of course my body reacts like it's been waiting for him. Every nerve is on high alert, just because he's within reach. He radiates warmth like it's effortless. Meanwhile, I'm over here spiraling.
I don’t move and neither does he.
His eyes go right to my lips, and it's just long enough to make my heart slam against my ribs. I swear I see the moment he decides to close the gap, then his hand is brushing my hip,testing my sanity.
I don’t pull away.
The distance disappears, and the tension stretches so tight I can barely breathe. He doesn't get any further, because the sharp creak of the front door shatters the moment like glass.
Cam wanders out, clueless as always, but Kane's grip on my hip doesn't budge. Then I see the envelope in his other hand, the one from his office with my name scrawled across the front.
I blink and frustration slams into me as I step away from him.
Kane extends it toward me. “Figured you’d want this.”
His tone makes something twist in my gut. I yank the envelope from his hand. “Thanks.”
My eyes slide past him to Cam, and my voice softens. “And thankyou, Cam.”
I know Kane’s still watching me, but I ignore him, stepping toward Cam and pulling him into a quick hug.
He leans in, keeping his voice low enough for only me to hear. “Remember what I said would happen if I found out you were lying?”
He knows.
I pull back, trying to keep my face neutral even as my heart hammers. Kane's watching with his brows drawn, soaking up every detail.
Nope. I'm not doing this.
I step away waving awkwardly, “Talk to you guys soon. Thanks again.”
I duck back inside, and Rachel's curled on the couch with the blanket wrapped around her like she's bracing for battle. She pats the spot beside her, and I flop down grabbing my own blanket.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Her voice is light, but there’s an edge to it. “If anyone can dig something up from the bits you gave them, it’s those two.”
Her smile is encouraging, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I manage a small one in return, but my chest is still tight and I keep circling back to Cam’s warning.Does he really know? Does Kane?
The idea makes my stomach twist uncomfortably. But before I can spiral too far, Rachel’s voice pulls me back. “Rave,” she says softly. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
The nervous edge in her voice is all the warning I need. Whatever she’s about to say, I already know I'm not going to like it. My stomach drops as I brace myself.
“I need to go home.”
The words hit harder than I expect, and I blink, caught off guard despite knowing, deep down, that this was coming.
