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Brynn.
She was everywhere. In my thoughts, in this house, in every room I walked through. There was no escaping her, not after everything we’d been through.
I took another sip and let the whiskey settle in my chest. The tension in my shoulders eased, but only slightly. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or just the act of being there alone in the dark that made me feel like I had control over something.
My eyes drifted to the stack of papers on my desk—reports, contracts, intel on Candace and her movements. Business as usual, but none of it seemed important right now. Not compared to Brynn.
She was always in the back of my mind.
Always there.
I took another sip of my whiskey as my stomach growled again, louder this time. I wasn’t sure how it was possible after the feast Bristol had prepared, but I was hungry. At dinner, I’d filled my plate with chicken skewers, rice pilaf, and roasted vegetables, but it was the apple pie that lingered in my mind.
Bristol had mentioned there was plenty of pie leftover if anyone wanted some later.
Well, it was later.
With a sigh, I moved away from the window, grabbed my whiskey glass, and decided to track down a slice. I left my office, quietly padding down the hallway, heading toward the kitchen.The house was still, the kind of quiet you only get in the middle of the night, when everyone else is sound asleep.
When I rounded the corner and got the kitchen in sight, I froze.
The refrigerator door was open, casting a soft glow across the room. A figure stood in front of it, rummaging through the shelves.
I smirked, recognizing the curves before I saw her face. Brynn. Of course.
I moved into the kitchen, keeping quiet, watching her as she straightened slightly, her hand now holding something. I stopped just before the island, and before I could say anything, a low, satisfied moan escaped her lips. She was licking her fingers.
My lips twitched. “Looks like we had the same idea,” I drawled, breaking the silence.
Brynn jumped and spun around. The pie she was holding leapt from her hands, but somehow she managed to catch it at the last second before it hit the floor.
“Jesus Christ, Leo,” she hissed and clutched the pie before setting it down on the kitchen island with a hard thud. “Why did you scare me like that?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the expression on her face—part shock, part frustration, and maybe a hint of embarrassment. I took another sip of whiskey, letting the burn settle in my stomach. “I just came looking for pie,” I said, leaning against the island. “Didn’t know you were going to be here eating it all.”
She rolled her eyes, grabbing a dish towel to wipe the remnants of pie filling from her fingers. “I’m not eating it all. I just wanted a piece.”
“Right,” I said, my gaze drifting to the nearly demolished pie. “Doesn’t look like there’s much left.”
Brynn shot me a glare before grabbing two plates from the cabinet and sliding one in front of me. “This is what was left after dinner, and there’s enough for the two of us,” she muttered.
I couldn’t help but smile. She always had a way of getting defensive when I teased her, and for some reason, it never got old. While she cut two slices of pie, I grabbed forks from the drawer and set them on the island.
“Thought you were avoiding me,” I said casually and leaned against the island while watching her as she placed the pie on each plate.
She paused for a beat and her eyes flicked up to meet mine before she quickly looked away. She focused on wiping a bit of pie crust from the counter. “I wasn’t avoiding you,” she said, but her tone was unconvincing.
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? Because it seemed like you were talking to everyone but me at dinner.”
Brynn handed me a plate, finally turning to face me. She took a deep breath, then shrugged, trying to downplay it. “There were a lot of people around.”
“Yeah, and you still managed to avoid me.”
She didn’t respond immediately, instead picking up her own slice and taking a bite. I watched her for a moment before digging into mine.
We ate in silence for a while, both leaning against the island, and the kitchen light cast soft shadows around us. It wasn’t awkward, but there was definitely something hanging between us—something unspoken.
Eventually, Brynn broke the silence. “I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose,” she said quietly, still not meeting my eyes. “I just... I don’t know.”
