Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Brian stood a few feet away in the soft lamplight of her bedroom, hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders tight like he didn’t quite trust himself to move yet. He looked different tonight—no badge, weapon, or professional distance. Just a man standing in her space.
Tess watched him quietly as she kicked off her slippers.
The room still carried the faint scent of the candle she’d lit earlier while getting ready for dinner—something warm and subtle—and beneath it, clean sheets and salt air drifting in through the cracked window.
And him.
Her pulse kicked up.
He didn’t rush her. Didn’t fill the silence. He just looked at her slowly, deliberately, like he was taking inventory.
Bare feet on the carpet. Her sundress brushing her thighs. The light sweater she’d slipped on before stepping back outside, still wrapped loosely around her shoulders.
She felt exposed anyway.
“This is the part where one of us says something smart.” She knew they were about to complicate everything. She also knew she didn’t care—not enough to stop.
He let out a breath that sounded like a laugh he hadn’t meant to make. “Yeah. I’ve got nothing.”
Her mouth curved upward.
He crossed the room then, stopping in front of her, close enough that she could feel his warmth. The air between them tightened—charged and heavy.
For several breaths, his gaze moved over her features with quiet focus, as if looking for hesitation.
She didn’t give him any.
Only then did he lift his hand, skimming his knuckles along her jaw and tucking her hair behind her ear. The caress was gentle, almost careful. Her skin tingled under his touch, and she leaned into it without thinking.
Need grew deep within her, but she wanted to savor every second of what came next.
His throat moved as he swallowed, drawing her attention.
Her own thoughts scattered when she noticed his carotid artery pulsating wildly. Practical things tried to surface—timing, complications, consequences—but then she placed her hands on his chest, right over his heart, and felt how hard it was beating beneath her palms.
“Tess,” he said quietly. “Tell me again that you want this.”
Her answer came easily. “I do want this. I want you.”
The words landed solidly between them.
His shoulders dropped a fraction, as something had finally loosened. He bent and kissed her slowly, deliberately, giving her a chance to pull back despite her consent.
She didn’t. She couldn’t.
Her hands slid into his hair, drawing him closer, and the kiss deepened. Not desperate. Not rushed. Just two people who finally stopped pretending.
His fingers clutched her waist, pulling her against him, and her body responded instantly. They fit together like two pieces designed for each other from the start.
He broke the kiss just long enough to rest his forehead against hers.
“This might complicate things,” he murmured.
She smiled. “Probably.”
“And I still can't stop.”
“Good. Because I don't want to stop either.”
Her hands slid from his hair to his shoulders, then down his arms, savoring the solid strength beneath the fabric of his shirt. Everything about him felt real. Present. When his mouth found hers again, she kissed him without hesitation.
She'd been alone for a long time and hadn't realized how much she'd missed simply being close to someone.
Brian brushed a kiss against her forehead before looking into her eyes once more, silently asking the same question he'd already given her the chance to answer.
She smiled and reached for him. “I want you.”
That seemed to be all he needed.
He gathered her into his arms, and together they sank onto the bed. The room faded around them, leaving only whispered words, tender kisses, and the certainty that neither of them wanted to turn back.
Much later, Brian lay beside her, his forehead resting against hers as they both caught their breath.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The room was filled only with the distant hush of the ocean and the quiet sound of their breathing.
His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You okay?” he asked softly.
She nodded, unable to keep the smile from her lips. “Yeah.”
More than okay.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so completely cherished. It wasn't simply that they'd made love. It was the patience he'd shown, the care he'd taken, the way he'd never once made her feel rushed.
He kissed her once more before drawing her against his side, wrapping an arm around her as naturally as if she'd always belonged there.
She rested her cheek against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“That was...” he began before letting out a quiet laugh. “Amazing.”
Her smile grew. “Yeah. It really was.”
But even as she said the words, her thoughts began to wander.
How will this change things?
Will either of us regret it in the morning?
Was it just a fleeting moment in time that we’d shared, or is this the beginning of something neither of us had planned for or expected?
She didn’t have the answers as Brian climbed out of bed without a word. Worry crept in as he disappeared into the bathroom.
Is he going to leave?
God, she hoped not.
The anxious flutter in her chest eased when he returned, stretched out beside her, and pulled the sheets and comforter over them both. She shifted closer, fitting herself into his side, and he welcomed her without hesitation, drawing her in like it was instinct.
Earlier, she'd promised herself she wouldn't let her emotions outrun her common sense. She wouldn’t read too much into his warm arms and whispered words and the way he held her as if she mattered.
But lying there with him, listening to his breathing even out, it was hard not to wonder. Hard not to hope.
They didn’t need to define anything yet. For now, it was enough to be there—wrapped around each other, breathing in sync.
And Tess told herself she’d take it one step at a time.
Even if part of her already knew she was in trouble.