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The porch creaks under my weight. I reach for the handle, push the door open, and step inside.

The house is quiet.

I move through the hallway without taking off my coat. I need to see Ani and Mae. I need to know they’re okay.

When I reach Mae’s room, what I see inside stops me cold in the doorway.

Ani is sitting on the bed. She’s reading from a picture book I recognize from Mae’s shelf—something about forest animals preparing for winter.

Mae is curled beside her, head resting lightly against Ani’s chest. Her eyes are wide and alert. And also—she’stalking.

I’ve barely heard her string together more than a few words since Ani arrived. Not that she spoke much before that, but Ani’s presence brought on more silence.

I don’t move. I barely even breathe. I don’t want to break whatever spell is in the air. Neither of them seems to notice me.

They’re in their own world. And that’s exactly what guts me.

Because it’s real.

Because this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Mae reaches up and touches Ani’s arm, just lightly. Ani keeps reading as she places her hand over Mae’s without even glancing down.

I listen as Ani animates the words, making different voices for each of the characters. She’s a fucking natural.

I step back slowly, careful not to make noise.

Ani’s not just a guest in this house anymore.

She’s part of this family.

And that scares the hell out of me.

Because the moment she walked in, everything changed. Everyone is more settled now. Everyone but me. And now I’m standing here in a hallway, wondering how the hell this girl got under my skin. And why I’m fighting it so damn hard.

The tension from the drive, from LA, from that damn parking lot, all of it flares again. But now it’s twisted around something else.

She’s everywhere now. Her laugh. Her scent. And I hate how badly I want it.

Ani steps into the hallway and notices me standing there.

She stops short and opens her mouth like she’s about to speak, but I move before she can form the words. I close the space between us in two quiet strides and push her gently against the wall.

My hand rises to her throat.

I don’t squeeze. The weight of my hand alone stills her. Her breath catches as her spine straightens, her back brushing the wall behind her. I don’t take my eyes off hers.

“What are you doing to me?” I ask.

The question slips out before I can stop it. She has no idea what she’s unraveling in me. No idea how close I am to losing control.

Or maybe she does. I’m too far gone to care at this point.

Her gaze sears into me. When she swallows, her throat shifts under my palm, and I feel the tremble in her breath.

I snap. Every bit of restraint I have is gone in an instant.

I close the last inch between us and press my mouth to hers. She gasps, but I don’t pull back. Her hands slide up my chest and curl into the front of my shirt.