Page 38 of Judge's Justice

"She did. And I—" Nora's voice breaks. "I didn't correct her. I should have. Should have told her that you're just helping us, that you have your own life, that we can't expect you to—"

"But you didn't."

"No. I didn't." She looks down at her hands. "Because I wanted it to be true too. Because when I think about leaving here, about you not being there, it hurts. And that's insane. We've known each other for two days. Two days, Judge. I have no right to feel—" She stops. Swallows hard.

I reach over with my good hand, cover hers. "To feel what?"

"Like you're mine to keep."

Fuck.

The way she says it, vulnerable and terrified, does something to me. It makes that hole in my chest crack wide open.

"I can never repay you for what you did," Nora whispers. "Taking that beating. Protecting us. Keeping us safe. I don't know how to—"

"You don't have to repay me anything. I told you, I'd do it again. I'd do it a hundred times." I turn my hand over, lacing my fingers through hers. "When you choose to protect a whole town, you can't decide who to protect. It's either everyone or no one."

"Is that all we are? Part of everyone?"

I could lie. Could tell her yes, that she's just another civilian under Iron Phoenix protection, that what I feel is purely professional. But I almost died. And if I had, I would've regretted not telling her the truth.

"No," I say. "You're not just part of everyone. You're more than that. Both of you."

She places her other hand on top of mine. "You're my knight in shining armor. You know that?"

I huff a laugh. It hurts. "Pretty sure knights don't wear leather jackets."

"You're a very modern knight."

We both laugh, and Christ, I've never had a moment like this with anyone. Never felt this rightness. Like every terrible thing I've been through was worth it to get here. To this moment. To her.

Her lips are right there. Soft and slightly parted.

I'm probably fucking this up. Probably misreading everything. She's vulnerable, grateful, caught up in the moment—

But I almost died.

And I can't let her walk away without showing her how much she means to me.

My hand comes up, cupping her cheek. She doesn't pull away. Doesn't flinch. Just leans into the touch, her eyes falling closed for a brief second.

I move forward. Slowly. Giving her time to stop me.

She doesn't.

Our lips meet.

And fuck.

It's incredible. Her lips are soft, warm and she tastes like vanilla, sweet and perfect. She makes this small sound in the back of her throat, and her hands come up to my chest, careful of my injuries, her fingers curling into the front of my shirt.

My ribs are screaming, but I don't care. I'm about to apologize, to tell her I shouldn't have done that, when she speaks.

"I'm glad you did that," she whispers. "Because if you hadn't, I was going to have to make the first move. And I wasn't sure if I was brave enough."

I stare at her. "You were thinking about kissing me?"

"Of course I was. I'm not made of iron, Judge." Her cheeks flush. "You protected me and my daughter. You took a beating for us. You've been nothing but kind, strong and… And I'm attracted to you. Very attracted to you."