17. Tucker
The second our lips touched, everything else faded away. The world, the maze, the stars—all of it dissolved into the background. Her lips were soft and warm against mine, and the way she kissed me back... it was like nothing I’d ever felt before.
This wasn’t just a kiss. It was more. From the moment her breath mingled with mine, and I pulled her in, something inside me shifted—something I hadn’t seen coming.
My hand slid down to cup the back of her neck, fingers threading through the loose strands of hair peeking out from under the collar of my jacket, which practically swallowed her. The jacket hung loosely around her frame, too big for her by miles, and right now, it was a barrier that I regretted putting between us.
The heat of her mouth against mine, the soft gasp that escaped her lips when I deepened the kiss... It was all consuming, pulling me under like I’d never been kissed before. This wasn’t just a kiss; it was the kind that shook you, made you forget everything else. It unraveled me in ways I wasn’t ready for, and yet, I couldn’t stop.
My hands moved on their own, sliding into the jacket and down to her waist, pulling her closer. She lifted onto her tiptoes, trying to meet me in the middle of our height difference. I could feel her fingers gripping the sleeves of the jacket as her hands rested against my chest, clutching them like she was anchoring herself to the moment. Or maybe… to me. I wasn’t sure, but I felt her everywhere.
She was warm, soft, and something about this—about her —was different from anything I’d ever experienced. I was a tall guy, and I’d always been conscious of the space I took up, but right now, every inch of me felt like I was made for her. Despite how naturally small she felt compared to me, having her tucked into my arms like she belonged there made me feel something dangerous, something I didn’t think I’d ever be capable of feeling.
And the way she was still kissing me back—matching every bit of my intensity like she needed this as much as I did—was wrecking me.
This wasn’t a casual kiss, the kind you could shrug off later and chalk up to a fling or a one-time thing. I couldn’t think about the case, the job, or the fact that I wasn’t staying. All I could think about was her, and the way she made me feel grounded and off-kilter at the same time, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be, yet completely out of control. My grip tightened on her waist, and her fingers curled into the too-long sleeves of my jacket, pulling me closer.
The kiss eventually slowed, softened, but I couldn’t bring myself to put too much space between us.
Not yet.
When our mouths finally parted, our foreheads rested together and our breaths came in short, quiet puffs of air. My hand came up to cradle her neck, my thumb brushing lightly against her cheek.
She didn’t step back, and I just stood there, staring down at her, my breath mingling with hers in the cool night air. I wanted to memorize her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted as she blinked up at me, searching my eyes like she was waiting for me to say something—anything.
But what could I say? That I was sorry for being so wrong about whatever this was between us? I’d told her we should see where this thing between us might go. But this? This was too much. So much more than I was prepared for. Whatever was brewing here wasn’t something that left room for uncertainty. It was something that made me know. I knew she fit—that we fit. And I didn’t have a clue what to do about it.
She was wrapped up in my jacket, which hung off her frame like a blanket, but she was still looking at me with that fire in her eyes—the kind that told me she wasn’t one to back down from anything, even the intensity of this moment.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know what to do next.
She licked her lips, and the sight of it sent a surge of heat through me as the quiet between us stretched out. I wasn’t ready to let go of this moment, this feeling that we’d crossed a line we could never uncross.
I swallowed hard when she closed her eyes, my pulse still racing. "Dakota..."
Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto mine, her breath still shaky from the kiss. I could feel her body trembling slightly against mine, but she didn’t pull away. She just stared up at me, her hands still braced against me through the too-long sleeves of my jacket like she was afraid I’d disappear if she let go.
I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to kiss her more than anything. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
"I should... I should probably get Austin back to the B&B," I murmured, my voice rougher than I intended. “I need to tell Colt about what we learned today, too.”
Something between disappointment and understanding crossed her face, but she nodded slowly. "Yeah... okay."
She was still so close, her body so warm against mine that I didn’t want to let her go. But I needed time to clear my head, to process what had just happened, because this was more than I’d bargained for.
Leaning in, I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a moment longer than I probably should have. The warmth of her skin, despite the chill in the air, combined with the sweet smell of her hair, sent a ripple through me, and I felt the weight of this moment settle deep in my chest.
When I pulled back, I caught her eyes again, and I offered her a small smile—one that I hoped told her everything I couldn’t say out loud right now. Everything I wasn’t ready to admit, even to myself.
"This isn’t over," I promised in a hoarse whisper, my voice barely audible.
She smiled up at me, but there was something in her eyes—something that told me she knew this was just the beginning, even if neither of us was ready to say it out loud yet.
By the time Austin and I slipped into the room at the B&B, I’d had to extricate myself from no less than six awkward conversations with the residents of Charlotte Oaks. The whispers had already started circulating— of course they had—and not only had they heard about Dakota and me being together, but now, thanks to my inability to keep things strictly professional, I’d gone and made it something more real than I even expected it to be.
I sighed heavily as I tossed my keys on the dresser. Disconcerting didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Is it true you and Dakota were making out in the corn maze?” Colt’s voice shot through the air the second we walked through the door, no greeting, no buildup—just straight to the point, as usual.
I gaped at him, completely unprepared. “Uh…”
“It’s true,” Austin confirmed, strolling right past me with a wide grin. “How’d you find out already?”
Colt leaned back in his chair, smirking. “I went downstairs to get some coffee and overheard some old guy telling Martha while she was cleaning up from dinner. Word travels fast in this town, man.”
“Lovely,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face. The entire population of Charlotte Oaks had probably been briefed about my personal life within the hour.
Austin’s stomach growled. “Is there still food? I’m starving.”
Colt nodded toward the hallway. “Yeah, there’s leftovers in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
I chuckled, despite everything. “Go on down,” I told Austin, waving him off. “I gotta talk to Colt about the case, anyway.”
Austin shot me a grin on his way out the door. “And about Dakota,” he added, pulling the door shut behind him before I could muster up a comeback.
I huffed and shook my head, turning to face Colt. “First thing’s first: we learned some weird stuff about the case today.” I walked over to the writing desk and dropped into the chair, only to bite back a pained groan as my backside made abrupt contact with the wooden seat. I winced, shifting in the chair, my wound still far too raw for comfort.
One of these days, I’ll remember not to sit down so hard.
Colt’s eyebrows lifted in amusement, but he didn’t comment on it—thankfully. “You know what’s weird?” he said instead. “The fact that you’re saying we on a case, and you’re talking about someone other than you and me.”
I shot him a look. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“What did you find out?”
I leaned back carefully, gathering my thoughts. “Dakota took me to a guy named Shifty’s place. Right away, he said the treasure belonged to someone named Syd Wharton.”
Colt perked up at the mention of the name and immediately pulled out his laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard. The dim glow of the screen lit up his face as he began typing.
“Syd Wharton, huh?” he muttered. “Keep talking.”
I crossed my arms, watching Colt work as I filled him in. “According to Shifty, Syd and his partner went after the treasure together, but the partner bailed last minute and then tried to kill Syd for it once he found it. Syd gave the treasure to Roy for safekeeping a long time ago, but then he disappeared right around the time of Roy’s funeral.”
Colt’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. He glanced up at me, eyebrows drawn together. “Barto is clearly the partner who tried to kill Syd Wharton for the treasure, right?”
“Seems likely,” I agreed. “Unless Barto somehow found out about the treasure later and just wants it for himself. But Shifty didn’t know the partner’s name, so we’re still missing that piece.”
Colt frowned, his fingers tapping idly on the edge of the laptop. “And no one knows where Syd is?”
I shook my head.
Colt’s eyes narrowed as he processed everything. “So… do we think Barto did something to Syd? Maybe that’s why he disappeared?”
My jaw clenched. “He might have. We need to figure out if Barto was in Charlotte Oaks around the time Roy passed away. Shifty said Syd didn’t show up for the funeral, so if Barto was in town back then, it’s possible he took Syd out.”
Colt’s gaze flicked up to meet mine, his tone turning serious. “Do you think Barto is the one who shot you?”
I blinked, the question hitting me harder than I expected. “Why would he?” I asked, frowning. “He hired us to retrieve his stolen goods. It doesn’t make sense that he’d try to take me out before we could do it.”
Colt rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “So… could it have been a freak hunting accident after all? Just a coincidence?”
I let out a dry laugh. “You know I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Yeah… sure.” Colt leaned back, a slow grin spreading across his face. “But maybe think of it as unrelated to the case—just a little divine intervention to lead you straight to Dakota.” His tone was level, his expression serious, but the mischievous glint in his eye told me exactly how much he was enjoying this.
I shot him a deadpan look, my voice flat. “You’ve got jokes now?”
“Who’s joking?” Colt spread his hands, all innocent. “I’m just saying, sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.”
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him. “You’re the worst.”
He dodged it easily, laughing as he leaned back in his chair. “Come on, admit it. You’re in deep with her.”
I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Yeah, no kidding.
Colt gave me a knowing look, his grin widening. “I warned you.”
“Yeah, well,” I muttered, shaking my head, “maybe try not to look so happy about it if you really thought it was a bad idea.”
“What can I say? Maybe I’m just a sucker for romance.”
Romance, I thought bitterly. It wasn’t a word that was in my vocabulary. Between the terrible relationship examples I witnessed growing up and my own past attempts that ended in disaster or never really took off, it wasn’t something I wanted to prioritize. But Dakota… Dakota had already turned everything upside down, and I wasn’t sure I could—or wanted to—get things back to where they were before.
And that kiss? It had already changed everything.
“So, what’s the next move?” Colt asked, leaning forward now, his serious tone back in place.
“I don’t know... I need to talk to her. Make sure she knows that kiss meant something but that I’m still leaving when the case is closed, and—” I stopped, narrowing my eyes when I found Colt grinning from ear to ear. “What? What’s wrong with your face?”
“I wasn’t talking about Dakota.”
I let my head fall back with a sigh, then after taking a beat to get my head on straight, I met Colt’s gaze. His expression had softened, the teasing grin gone now, replaced with something more serious.
“I mean it, Tuck. What’s the next move? With the case. If Barto’s out there, and you think he’s dangerous… what are we walking into?”
For a moment, the weight of it all pressed down on me—the case, the danger, and now Dakota. I had no idea what the hell we were walking into, but one thing was certain.
Whatever was coming next, it wasn’t just about treasure anymore.