I walk back toward her. She doesn’t move away, just watches me. A gust of wind sends a spray of saltwater into the air, misting against my face.
I glance at the sky one last time. The storm is almost fully on us now, the dark clouds rolling in fast, swallowing up what little light remains. The waves crash harder, the wind howling through the trees behind us.
It won’t be long before we’re trapped here—no power, no light, just the fire and us to keep each other warm.
And I’m not sure which part of that unsettles me more.
My cock jerks against my zipper.
Now isnotthe time, sir.
“We should head back,” I suggest, trying to make my voice sound calm even though my instincts are telling me to hurry. “Let’s get inside before it gets worse.”
She nods, her face turning toward the cottage, the wind whipping her hair around, and I have the strongest urge to pull her against me and kiss her fucking stupid. The thought comes out of nowhere, slamming into me with the same force as the storm rolling in. It’s reckless, dangerous—even more than everything else I’ve already done—but it lingers, tempting.
She walks ahead of me, the cloth bag of seashells swinging lightly from her fingers, and something I’m not sure I want to name weaves its way around my ribcage. It’s been there for a while now, gnawing at the edges of everything, impossible to ignore.
I mean, I’ve known. But goddamn if it doesn’t scare the shit out of me.
The wind howls through the trees, the first drops of rain cold against my skin as we make our way up the path. The storm is almost here, wrapping its fingers around the island, locking us in.
We’ll be fine here, I remind myself. As long as we have firewood and each other, we’ll be alright.
13
CAN I HELP YOU SLEEP?
KRUZ
The storm hits harderthan I ever thought possible.
The wind howls like a wild animal, clawing at the walls of the cottage, and the rain slams against the windows in endless waves. It feels like the entire house is shaking, ready to be torn apart at any second.
I’m curled up on the couch, a blanket wrapped so tightly around me that my knuckles are white. I’ve never liked storms, but this? This is a whole different level of hell.
The wind doesn’t just rattle the house—itscreams,pounding against the windows like it’s trying to break in. Lightning flashes, making the flickering light overhead cast twisting, jumping shadows that don’t help my racing heart.
Ezra moves around like he’s totally unfazed, stoking the fire, checking the windows, lighting candles. He’s calm—way too calm for my liking. Like, who the hell doesn’t even flinch in a storm like this?
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep it together. My heart’s pounding, my stomach’s in knots, and when a massive crack of thunder shakes the air, I flinch so hard I almost drop the blanket. “This is insane,” I mutter, not meaning for Ezra to hear.
He glances at me, face as unreadable as ever. “It’s just a storm,” he says evenly. “We’ll be fine.”
Easy for him to say. Ezra looks like the kind of guy who could fistfight a tornado and win, while I feel like I might shatter into pieces at any second.
The power goes out with a loudsnap,plunging everything into darkness.
“Shit,” I whisper, my breath catching as my eyes dart around the room, struggling to adjust to the dim light of the fire and the candles Ezra lit earlier.
“It’s fine,” he repeats, his voice steady. He crosses the room and sits next to me on the couch, his presence weirdly comforting—though I’d rather die than admit it out loud.
Actually, who am I kidding? We’re past the point of pretending nothing’s changed between us since we got to this damn island. But admitting it still feels like handing him a win, and I’m too stubborn for that.
I try focusing on the fire instead of the chaos outside, but every groan of the walls and gust of wind sends another jolt of anxiety through me. The storm feels endless, like it’s never going to let up.
Ezra pulls the blanket tighter around my shoulders, his hand brushing mine. “You’re safe,” he says, softer now. “I promise, kitten.”
My chest is tight, my mind spinning too fast to let those words sink in. “How can you be so calm?” I snap, fear making my voice harsher than I mean it to be.
