my hand slid gently along her jaw.
Her lips parted slightly.
The air between us shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Emotional.
Too close.
Outside the SUV, Wolf suddenly banged on the hood.
“Hey Romeo, if you two are done staring into each other’s souls, Rook wants everybody inside.”
Flick startled softly.
I closed my eyes briefly.
“Wolf’s gonnadie someday.”
She laughed.
Actually laughed.
Small.
Breathless.
Beautiful.
And just like that?—
some of the darkness eased from her face for the first time all night.
Worth it.
Absolutely worth it.
I opened the door carefully and stepped out into the cold morning air.
Pain ripped through my side instantly.
I ignored it.
But Flick noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Her hand slid around my waist before I could protest.
Supporting me.
Staying close.
And something about that nearly wrecked me harder than the bullet.
Because nobody had stood beside me like this before.
