Page 134 of At First Catch

The breath leaves my lungs completely. He says it so simply. No performance. No games. Just truth.

And strangely, loving Nolan feels less like falling and more like being claimed by tenderness. “Nolan,” I whisper.

His eyes hold mine steadily, and for one suspended second, the entire bookstore fades away. Nolan reaches up and brushes his knuckles lightly against my cheek.

A tiny touch. Still intimate enough to make my pulse stumble hard.

“You know what’s dangerous?” he murmurs.

“What?”

“I think seeing you has become the best part of my day.”

Late that night, rain streaks across the marina windows, turning the dock lights outside into soft ribbons of gold that shimmer against the water.

I pause outside Nolan’s apartment for a second before letting myself in. It already feels natural. Somewhere along the way, this place stopped feeling like his and started feeling a little like ours.

The thought sends a quiet warmth through my chest.

The apartment is dim except for the kitchen light spilling across the hardwood floors. My overnight bag slips from my shoulder as I step inside.

“Nolan?”

No answer.

I round the corner and find him standing at the windows overlooking Back Bay. One hand is tucked into his pocket, and the other is wrapped around a mug that’s probably gone cold by now.

Even from across the room, something feels...off.

“You’ve got that face again,” I say.

He glances over his shoulder, and the smile he gives me is real—but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“What face?”

“The one where you’re pretending everything’s fine.”

A quiet laugh escapes him.

“So I have a face now?”

“You absolutely have a face.”

His shoulders loosen just enough that I know I’ve pulled him back from wherever his thoughts had wandered.

I cross the room until I’m standing in front of him. Without thinking, his hands settle around my waist. Like they were always meant to.

God.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how safe that feels.

“You okay?” I ask.

His thumb brushes absentmindedly along my side.

“Yeah.”

I lift an eyebrow.