The sudden space between them felt wrong, but necessary. They were both wound too tight, standing in a room still reeking of violence, surrounded by the debris of her broken life.
This wasn't the time.
Not yet.
But soon.
The promise hung unspoken between them, heavy with heat and inevitability.
Dakota touched her lips with her fingers, as if she could still feel him there. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright, her breathing unsteady, and for the first time, Kade saw a glimpse of who she might be without the weight of her family's rejection crushing her.
She was beautiful.
Not despite her damage, but because she'd survived it.
Around them, the shattered boardroom bore witness to a quiet shift. Grief still lingered. Pain still pulsed beneath the surface. But for the first time since the confrontation ended, those weren't the only things she felt.
Dakota barely registered the door at first.
