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He hadn’t expected that. Her seeing straight through to the truth. It knocked a hardness loose inside him.

“Yeah. Well…” He started cutting again.

“Must’ve been hard. Growing up without him.”

A rough laugh escaped. “My grandmother made sure none of us lacked discipline. She had more balls than ten men, and a temper that could blister concrete.”

Kat turned, her fingers closing around his wrist. The contact blazed through him—raising goosebumps on his forearms. The scissors trembled in his grip.

“Sounds familiar.” She smiled.

It hit him low and hard. God, what he’d give to see that smile every day.

“Zak and Eli kept me in line too,” he said, quieter now. “They were loud enough to drown out most things.”

He worked methodically, the silky strands sliding between his fingers as he evened out the ragged edges, creating something deliberate. This, at least, he could control. This small act of protection, of helping her disappear from those hunting her.

When he was done, he set the scissors down with a soft click. He turned her to face him, hands on her shoulders, the heat of her body intense through thin cotton.

“Well.” She reached back to touch her neck, her cheeks flushed. “Tell me how bad it is.”

The shorter style framed her face like a revelation—sharp cheekbones, those intelligent eyes, that mouth he’d memorized from every grainy video call. More exposed now. Unarmored. So beautiful his chest ached with it.

He couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried.

His hands moved to cup her face, thumbs brushing her cheekbones, fingers pushing through the silk of her hair. Her skin was furnace-hot beneath his palms.

Her pulse beat fast against his fingertips, matching the rapid tempo of his own.

He moved slowly, searching her eyes for any hesitation, giving her every chance to stop this, but her gaze never wavered.

His lips found hers, a question, not a demand. For one suspended heartbeat, she held still.

Doubt surged, hot and wild.

Then her hands fisted in his hair and she launched into him, crushing her mouth to his, her body molding against him. Years of restraint went up in flames.

The kiss ignited.

She pressed against him. All heat and need, and memory turned real.

Her scent, her taste, her hands gripping his shoulders like he was the only thing tethering her to earth.

He was lost.

And didn’t give a damn.

She moaned into his mouth, the sound almost animal, as she opened to him. She moved against him, hips tilting, that sound vibrating against his lips.

He was instantly, brutally hard.

She broke the kiss, gasping. Her eyes were wild, her breath stuttering to match his own.

Yes.God, yes.

He slid his hand down the curve of her back, anchoring them both to this impossible, electric moment.

Kat Landon. In his arms.