When we reach the lodge, I walk her to the door, hyperaware of every place our bodies touch.
“Thank you for tonight,” she says, keys in hand but making no move to unlock the door. “It was perfect.”
“Even with the heavy conversation?” I ask.
“Especially with that,” she replies, her eyes serious in the porch light. “I don’t want secrets between us, Caleb. Whatever this is, whatever we’re starting, I want it honest.”
The simplicity of her statement, the courage behind it, makes my chest tighten. “No secrets,” I agree. “No running.”
“No running.” She smiles, reaching up to touch my face, “Ah, don’t be surprised if you see Kori’s face glued to one of the windows.”
“Then we’d better give her something to look at.”
I sweep her into my arms and am glad I do. This kiss is different from the first—deeper, more certain. Her body presses against mine, and I feel heat building between us, a current that could easily sweep us away. With reluctance, I pull back slightly.
“If I don’t leave now,” I murmur against her ear, “I might not leave at all.”
She shivers, not from cold this time. “Would that be so terrible?”
The question hangs between us, tempting. But I can see the fatigue beneath her desire, the shadows of the day’s events still lingering in her eyes.
“Not terrible,” I say, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “But I want more than one night with you, Lana. And we both need rest after today.”
She sighs, nodding. “Are you always the voice of reason?”
“Not usually,” I laugh, stealing one more quick kiss. “But tonight, it seems I am.”
I wait until she’s safely inside before heading back to my truck, my body still humming with the memory of her touch. As I drive toward Jake’s, I realize I’m smiling like a fool—and I don’t care in the slightest.
Chapter 22
Lana
I step through the doorway with my lips still tingling from Caleb’s kiss, unable to wipe the stupid grin off my face. I’m not even three steps inside when Kori pounces from the shadows of the living room, making me jump.
“Well?” she demands, arms crossed over her chest, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. “How was it? And don’t you dare say ‘fine’ or I’ll pinch you.”
I roll my eyes but can’t suppress my smile. “It was... perfect,” I admit, shrugging off my coat and hanging it by the door. “He took me to this amazing little lodge with incredible food, and we saw the northern lights, and—”
“And?” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.
Heat rises to my cheeks. “And he kissed me. Twice. Well, more than twice.”
Kori squeals, grabbing my hands and bouncing like we’re teenagers discussing a high school crush. “I knew it! The pink hair worked its magic!”
“It wasn’t the hair,” I protest, though I remember the way his eyes had lingered on it. “It was... everything. The conversation, the honesty. I told him about Mark.”
She stops bouncing, her expression turning serious. “You did? And?”
“And he said if Mark weren’t already dead, he’d hunt him down and kill him himself.” I bite my lip, remembering the quiet intensity in Caleb’s voice. “He meant it, Kori.”
“Good,” she says firmly. “That’s exactly the right response.” She studies my face. “So, when are you seeing him again?”
“Tomorrow, I guess? We’re all meeting to go through the documents, remember?”
She swats my arm. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. When’s the next date?”
Before I can answer, Kane strides into the room, phone pressed to his ear, his expression animated in a way that suggests important news.
