Page 54 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

Time seemed to blur as we lost ourselves in each other. The storm outside raged on, but inside, it was quiet, intimate, safe.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads rested together, our breaths mingling in the small space between us. Her cheeks were flushed, her hazel eyes searching mine with an intensity that stole what little breath I had left.

“This is… complicated,” I murmured.

Her fingers curled into my shirt, holding me close. “I know.”

I pulled back just enough to look at her, to really see her—the way her cheeks flushed, the way her eyes shone. She was so damn beautiful it hurt.

But even as I held her, the guilt lingered at the edges of my mind. Not just for Nate… but for Jaxon and Colt.

Because I wasn’t blind.

I’d seen the way Jaxon looked at her, the way Colt’s usual bravado softened when she was around. They felt it, too. Whatever this was between us, it wasn’t mine alone.

And that scared the hell out of me.

“I think…” I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. “I think I’m falling for you, Lila.”

Her breath caught, her eyes wide. “Ryan…”

“I know it’s messy,” I said quickly, cutting her off before she could protest. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way. But I do. I can’t help it.”

She reached for my hand, her fingers threading through mine. The simple touch steadied me even as it sent my heart racing.

“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “This is new for me. For all of us.”

I nodded, my grip on her hand tightening slightly. “Same here.”

We sat there in silence. But even with the uncertainty, the guilt, I couldn’t let her go.

Not yet.

When she leaned her head against my shoulder, I wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. Her warmth seeped into me, and surprisingly, the guilt wasn’t the loudest thing in my mind.

Instead, there was hope.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Lila

The storm rattled the cabin,but I barely noticed it. My focus was entirely on Ryan.

His confession kept echoing in my head, looping over and over.I think I’m falling for you.

Those words had cracked something open in me, something I wasn’t ready to name.

It wasn’t just his words, though. It was the way he looked at me when he said them. Like I was the only thing in the room that mattered. Like I wasn’t broken or messy or caught in a situation that defied logic.

Like I was just me.

I stood up from the couch, still holding his hand. “Come with me.”

His brows knitted together, and I could tell he was overthinking it, debating whether to ask questions or push back. But he didn’t. He just nodded and let me lead him down the hallway to my room.

I closed the door behind us, muffling the sound of the wind outside. Ryan stood near the bed, his tall frame seeming to take up all the available space. His green eyes were on me, full of questions he wasn’t asking.

“Lila…” His voice was low, cautious.

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