When I kiss her this time, it feels different.
Not rushed.Not reckless.
Certain.
Autumn's fingers curl into the front of my shirt as the ocean wind moves around us, the sound of waves filling the silence that follows her question.
Are we doing this?
Apparently the answer is yes.
Her lips are warm despite the cold air, soft but deliberate, like she's making the same choice I just did.
Choosing this.
Choosing me.
When we finally pull apart, she doesn't step away. She stays right where she is, standing close enough that I can still feel her breath against my jaw. I shudder internally.
That alone says a lot.
Most people keep their distance from me.
Autumn Cole does the opposite.
And somehow that's both the best and most terrifying thing that's happened to me in a long time.
The night air grows colder as the wind shifts across the shoreline.
Autumn shivers slightly.
I notice immediately.
Without thinking, I shrug my jacket off and drape it over her shoulders.
"You're cold."
She shakes her head automatically. "I'm fine."
"You're shivering."
"I'm not-"
Another gust of wind hits and she instinctively pulls the jacket closer around herself.
I raise an eyebrow.
She sighs, defeated. "Okay. Maybe a little."
"Thought so."
"Thank you," she says quietly.
She slips her arms into the sleeves, the leather swallowing her small frame.
The sight of her standing there wearing my jacket does something strange to my chest.
Something warm.
Something dangerous.
Because it feels like more than a small gesture between two people standing on a beach.
It feels like something real.
And that's a problem.
Because real things have a way of ending.
And for the first time in a long time-
I actually care if they do.