I laugh, real and surprised. “Consider it done.”
He slaps my back. “Good man. Smart.” He looks at Kasia, grinning. “I like him. I’ll tell Jacob he was wrong; they’re not skinny basement rats after all. Goodnight.”
He kisses Kasia’s cheek, Aga hugs her, and the family files out the door. I look at Kasia, amused. “Rats?”
She shakes her head, smiling. “I’ll explain later.”
Outside, I head toward my car. Kasia lingers behind me, caught in the silver wash of moonlight. I wish I could photograph it, the way her hair shines under it, how soft her face looks when she thinks no one’s watching, but I settle for the fact that I get to see it at all. The instinct hits me hard: I don’t want to leave without her.
“I’ve got some red at mine,” I say, trying to keep it casual, though my pulse is anything but. “It’s not that late, our date isn'ttechnicallyover yet.”
She looks at her car, then back at me. I can already see the excuse forming.
“I’m pretty sure yourparentswill let you keep it here,” I say before she can protest. “Or I’ll bring you back. Dealer’s choice, you hold all the cards here. Just say you’ll come over, no excuses.”
I step closer, my hand finding her waist as I pull her toward me. I let my voice do the convincing, it's unfair maybe, knowing how badly it gets under her skin. I put everything into it, I want her tofeelit everywhere. “Come on,Kasia.”
She gives me that smile, that small surrender, and nods.
Chapter 49
Where Desire Rose
Rafe
Before I know it, we’re in the car, the night still unfolding ahead of us. The road is mostly empty, streetlights slipping across the windshield in slow intervals, washing Kasia’s face in gold, then shadow, then gold again. She’s got her legs tucked up, shoes off, fingers playing absently with the stitching on her shirt.
“Your parents were great,” I say, breaking the silence. “Pretty sure your mum was about two minutes from trying to adopt me.”
Kasia smiles, looking out the window. “She probably would’ve. She likes anyone who eats seconds.”
“I had thirds,” I say. “She’s going to embroider me into the family tree.”
That earns a small laugh, the kind that barely escapes her but still fills the car.
I glance over, watching the way she rests her head against the glass. “That sound,” I murmur.
She looks over. “What?”
“Your laugh. It’s…unfair. You shouldn’t have to work a job. You could just rent that out and cure depression.”
She shakes her head, trying not to smile. “You can turn it off now, the charm factor. It’sjust me now.”
“Just being honest.” I hold her gaze until she looks away.
The radio offers an old soul track that suits the night. I keep one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gearshift. Her hand drifts close but doesn’t quite touch; every time I shift, our fingers brush, a small static spark. For a while, we don’t speak. The silence feels good, soft, intimate. There’s something about the way she watches the city passing by, and I realize I’m doing the same with her.
I park and kill the engine. The music fades, but the moment doesn’t. She turns toward me, knees drawn up, waiting for me to speak first.
“I couldn’t just let you go,” I admit. My voice comes out lower than I mean it to. “I lured you with wine but I'm out of the good stuff, the truth is I just wanted you all to myself.”
She studies me for a long second, then unbuckles her seatbelt. “You really think I came all this way forthe wine?”
I grin. “Oh, thank fuck for that because what I have left is terrible.” When she laughs, nothing else matters.
Inside, the apartment welcomes us with leftover warmth from the day. The lights are hazy, the kind you forget you left dimmed, soft enough to make everything look gentler than it is. I kick off my boots near the door and grab the last bottle of red from the small rack. Kasia lingers just inside, arms folded loosely, taking everything in.
She eyes me with suspicion. “You havecandles? That’s new.” She makes her way over to one, picks it up, turning it slowly until she finds the label. “Lavender Dream?Really?” She cocks her head, incredulous.
