Page 127 of Heat Lightning

Dark blue-gray clouds loomed in the distance, devouring the last of the blue light into the storm’s maw.

“Hey, look,” he said, pointing at the distant sky. “Heat lightning.”

Bright flashes lit up the horizon, as if the warmth of the night itself charged the atmosphere.

I blinked away the sudden, conflicting swell of emotion his words stirred in me. “Someone told me once that heat lightning isn’t real,” I whispered. “They said it’s just normal lightning from a storm you can’t see yet.”

Atlas threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me to my feet, guiding me inside in the dark. I followed blindly, like I always would.

“I mean, maybe that’s true,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

“Yeah,” I said, relishing the feel of my hand in his. His skin against mine created its own heat lightning in the space between us. “You’re right. It is real.”

He pulled me inside, led me back to the bedroom—our bedroom—laid me down on the sheets, and made sweet, slow love to me.

After, just as I was drifting off to sleep wrapped in his arms, I wished I could wake up and relive this night for all eternity. And yet, I also couldn’t wait for what was next. My dreams of long, summer nights dancing with the fireflies brushed up against my consciousness, closer, now. Tangible.

I’d once wondered who held the man with the world on his shoulders. Now, I could say for certain that I did.

I held him, and he held me.

He was my lighthouse in a storm. The safest spot to land, and also the most thrilling rush, all wrapped into one person.

He was my mate, and no matter what, we would hold each other up.

EPILOGUE

MAX

Someone was watching me.

A thrill zipped up my spine. Standing in the blue light of the Plover Bay aquarium, I felt eyes drag down my body, heating my skin.

“Let’s play a guessing game!” the docent next to me said. She had a gaggle of children—including Enzo—all gathered around a large, circular tank filled with beautiful, pulsing jellyfish. “How much water do you think these jellies are made of?”

The din of their voices faded into the background as I scanned the room. Considering we were surrounded by spectacular aquatic views on all sides, my staring didn’t look out of place, but I wasn’t paying attention to the fish.

A dark figure shifted in the shadow cast between two aquarium exhibits. Concealed by decorative faux rock and an informative sign displaying all sorts of facts about coral reefs, the corner was easily overlooked.

It was the perfect place for someone who liked to silently watch to go unnoticed.

I pretended not to see the alpha hiding in the shadows, and slowly circled the room, taking in the magnificent display. Pausing just out of reach of the hidden alcove, I attempted to look very interested in the giant sawfish swimming overhead, its serrated teeth making it look more like a prehistoric dinosaur rather than something that existed in the modern day.

“Spectacular, aren’t they?” a voice laced with velvet night whispered in my ear.

I sucked in a breath when a hot body pressed up against me from behind, and I was enveloped in the scent of copper and ozone.

Before I had a chance to respond, a strong arm banded around my middle and yanked me into that dark alcove, tucked away from prying eyes. My back hit the wall with an oof.

“Don’t scream,” my attacker whispered, lips hovering just above mine. Only the glint of his icy blue eyes was visible in the gloom. “We wouldn’t want to scare the children.”

“Unhand me,” I whispered back, attempting to squirm away when he pressed me further into the wall. “I’m a mated man.”

A low chuckle rumbled out of him. “Are you sure about that?”

“Very,” I breathed, tipping my chin back, inviting him to inspect the evidence.

He obeyed my silent request and nipped at the faint scar on my neck. “Well then, whoever they are, they shouldn’t have left you all alone smelling so delicious. I couldn’t help myself.”