Page 184 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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I don’t.

I step closer instead.

He leans down, and his forehead rests against mine.

“We take this one step at a time,” he says.

“Okay.”

“No promises we can’t keep.”

“Okay.”

“But I don’t walk away from you,” he adds.

My breath catches.

“Okay,” I whisper.

And then he kisses me.

Soft.

So soft it almost hurts.

Not the kind of kiss that steals breath—

the kind that gives it back.

I feel it everywhere.

In my chest.

In my hands.

In the way I lean into him without thinking.

His fingers brush along my jaw, slower this time.

Reverent.

Like he’s memorizing me.

Like this matters.

LikeImatter.

And something inside me…feels like I might just cry.

Because I feel like he sees me, without Tank standing in our way.

He touches me like I’m something to hold onto instead of something to survive.

My hands slide up his chest, careful of his ribs, feeling the strength beneath the pain.

Feeling him.

Real.

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