Page 79 of At First Spark
“You’re home early,” he says.
I cross the room before he finishes the sentence.
“You’re hurt.”
“I’m okay.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
I don’t stop until I’m right in front of him. My hand lifts without permission and stops just short of his rib cage .
“Let me see.”
“I said I’m good.”
“I don’t care what you said.”
The words come out sharper than I intend. Holt stills, and his eyes search mine, all while something between us shifts.
“You’re worried,” he says.
It’s not a question. I swallow.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what.”
“Turn this into something it’s not.”
His gaze doesn’t move.
“Then tell me what it is.”
I don’t answer. I can’t because the truth is sitting too close to the surface now. Too clear. Too impossible to pretend away.
My fingers finally make contact with his side. Light. Careful. He inhales sharply. The reaction hits me before I can process it. Before I can pull back.
“You’re not fine,” I say.
“Didn’t say I wasn’t sore.”
“You said—”
“I said what you needed to hear.”
My hand tightens slightly as his breath shifts again. And suddenly… we’re back here. Too close. Too aware. Too much sitting under the surface.
“You scared me,” I say before I can stop myself.
The words hang there. Heavy and honest. Irreversible. Holt goes still. Completely.
And then, everything changes.
Chapter Fourteen – Lark
“You scared me.”
The words don’t feel like mine once they’re out in the open. They feel too exposed. Too honest. Like something I should’ve held on to a little longer before letting it land between us like this.
