Page 136 of Silver Fox Puck

A man I’m falling for—let’s be honest, have fallen for—whether I want to or not.

He lifts his gaze, catching me staring. A knowing smirk tugs at his lips, and I roll my eyes.

“Are you going to gloat about this?” I ask, pointing my fork at my plate.

“Gloat about what?”

I huff. “The fact that you actually know how to cook and I had to admit I was wrong.”

Grant sets his fork down and leans back in his chair, arms crossing over his broad chest. “You say that like it’s hard for you to admit when you’re wrong.”

I narrow my eyes. “I don’t like your tone.”

His lips twitch. “Just an observation.”

“You and your damn observations,” I mutter, stabbing another bite of pasta.

The teasing is light, but it does nothing to ease the tension thickening the air between us. Because underneath all of this—the banter, the casual conversation—something heavier is lurking.

Something unspoken.

Something that neither of us is ready to name yet.

Grant watches me for a long moment, fingers drumming against the table, before finally breaking the silence. “So. Today.”

I set my fork down, bracing for the conversation I knew was coming. “Yeah?”

He studies me, his gaze unreadable. “Did it scare you?”

I swallow, my throat tightening slightly.

Because the truth?

Yeah. It did.

It scared the hell out of me.

Being with him today—seeing him with Olivia, watching how easily he loves her, how fiercely he protects her, how much she adores him in return—it was everything I never let myself want.

And that? That’s terrifying.

Because I’ve spent my whole life avoiding this exact kind of attachment.

I take a slow breath, meeting his gaze head-on. “A little.”

Grant’s jaw flexes. He nods once, like he expected that answer. “And now?”

I hold his stare, my pulse picking up. “I’m still here.”

His expression shifts. Just barely.

But I see it.

The relief. The understanding. The weight of what I’m saying settling between us.

Because the truth is, I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to fit into his life when it’s already so full. When he already has everything to lose.

But I do know one thing.

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