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Relief washes through me at the sound of it.

He kisses my cheek. “I’ll finish making dinner.”

Then he turns to Harrison.

“You have the watch.”

Huh? I blink, the phrase sliding right past me. Some kind of bro code. Military, probably.

Gabe gives Harrison a quick pat to the stomach. Harrison’s jaw tightens and…

Was that a growl?

The next thing I know, Gabe is gone, disappearing down the hall like the kitchen’s on fire.

And with my brother’s cooking, there’s a good chance it is.

I become acutely aware that it’s just Harrison and me and an insane pull I’m actively resisting.

I search his eyes. Whatever he’s thinking is locked down tight. The man is an enigma built from restraint, barricaded behind years of brick and mortar. A walking no-entry sign.

Then Harrison breaks the spell.

“I should check on your brother.”

And just like that, he’s gone, disappearing down the hall.

Which is probably for the best. I remind myself I’m leaving soon.

I’ve tried long distance before.

It never works.

Ever.

No matter how badly I might want to believe it could with a mountain man like Harrison Evans.

CHAPTER 34

Harrison

“What the fuck was that?”

I barge into the kitchen like a storm.

Gabe’s at the stove, squarely in the blast radius of my restraint. Wooden spoon in one hand, tongs in the other. What in the ever-loving fuck.

He lifts both in surrender.

I rip the spoon from his hand and blow out a breath. “You were supposed to tell her the truth. That her stalker is in New York. That we need to take extra precautions. Not”—I gesture vaguely, sharp and irritated—“spin some acting-career bullshit.”

He exhales slowly. “I had to say something. You saw my sister. Crying. Shaking. What was I supposed to do?”

I shoot him a look. “Not make your boss look like he’s having a midlife crisis.”

“It’s better than the alternative.’”

I scrub a hand down my face. He’s not wrong. And for the thousand ways I don’t really know Pix, this one, I do.