Page 143 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

My fingers disappeared into the thick fur behind his ears.

"You've earned every cookie in my kitchen."

Another sleepy sigh escaped him.

"I'll bake you the chocolate-chip ones tomorrow, well dog friendly once."

His tail gave one lazy thump.

I climbed to my feet. Every joint complained after the day's panic.

"I should probably let you both rest."

Elias stood almost immediately. He didn't stay by the couch; he walked me to the front door. Neither of us spoke. The screen door creaked open. Outside, the valley had disappeared beneath deep blue twilight. Crickets filled the silence with their endless chorus while the smell of rain-soaked pine drifted through the cool evening air.

I stepped onto the porch. He stopped beside me. Close enough that I could hear him breathing. Close enough that, if I reached out, my fingers would brush the sleeve of his shirt.

I wanted to tell him everything. Thank you, I'm sorry that I'm glad Max is alive that I'm glad....you held me. Instead, the words tangled somewhere between my heart and my throat. So, we stood there. Two people separated by only a few inches and an entire lifetime.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was barely above the wind.

I looked up as he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes fixed somewhere beyond the trees.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, especially on my porch...the cookies... I was cruel."

He let out a slow breath.

"I was angry. Walker. The case. The missing women. I brought all of it home."

His jaw tightened.

"And I unloaded it onto someone who didn't deserve it."

His eyes finally found mine.

"I'm sorry, Seraphina."

Something inside me gave way not because of the apology but because no one had ever apologised before, not really no one ever apologised to me and meant it. Before my mind could stop me, I stepped forward and rose onto my toes and rested my trembling hands against his chest.

And kissed him.

It wasn't planned, it wasn't dramatic, it was only meant to last a heartbeat, a quiet thank you and a silent I forgive you. The moment my lips touched his… I realised my mistake and I pulled back immediately.

"Oh..."

Heat rushed into my cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

"I shouldn't have-"

I never finished my sentence because suddenly his hands found my face. Large, warm and careful hands. As though he was holding something breakable or something precious. His forehead hovered only inches from mine while he searched my eyes for permission I hadn't realised I was giving. Then he…

He kissed me.

Everything disappeared, the crickets, the trees, the mountain and the whole valley dissolved into the warmth of his mouth and the steady strength of his hands. He kissed me like a man who had spent weeks denying himself something he wanted more than air. He kissed me like a man who was in a desert and saw water for the first time in weeks.