Brody stood in front of her, his eyes locked on hers with a focus so intense it felt like it reached straight through her. Emily’s breath stalled in her chest. The air between them thickened, humming with everything they’d been holding back—every glance, every almost-touch, every moment that had pulled them closer without either of them daring to name it.
The silence stretched, heavy and electric.
Brody’s voice broke it, low and steady, vibrating with something he could no longer hide. “Emily… I need to know what you want.”
Her pulse fluttered wildly. “What do you mean?”
He stepped closer—slow, deliberate—until the warmth of him pressed against the cool air around her. Her back brushed the counter, grounding her even as her knees weakened.
“Do you want me here,” he asked softly,
