Page 35 of Holly Jolly Heat
And honestly? If Janet wanted to throw us together, I wasn't going to complain.
Because this morning, on that mountain, Michelle had let me catch her.
And she hadn't run away.
That was progress.
Small steps. Building trust. Showing her through actions that we meant what we said.
I looked at my pack, Lucas already moving to help Michelle with something, Dex engaging with her family, all of us settling into her home like we belonged here.
Maybe we did belong here.
Maybe this was exactly where we were supposed to be.
FIVE
Michelle
I was hiding in my room again.
To be fair, I called it "working." I had my laptop open, three client emails drafted, and a spreadsheet analyzing Lucas's Q4 metrics. Very productive. Very professional.
Definitely not hiding from the fact that I'd spent the morning alone with Ro, let him catch me on a hiking trail, and almost, almost, let him kiss me.
"Get it together," I muttered, staring at my screen without actually reading anything.
The problem was, I could still feel his hands on my waist. Still smell spruce and woodsmoke mixing with the pine-scented air. Still hear his voice saying "You're worth waiting for" like it was a fact, not a hope.
I'd been falling for you before I ever met you.
How was I supposed to maintain professional boundaries when he said things like that?
My phone buzzed. A text from Sasha.
Sasha:How's the pack situation? Have you stopped panicking yet?
Michelle:Define panicking.
Sasha:Michelle.
Michelle:I went location scouting with Ro this morning. It was professional. Mostly professional. There was an incident with ice and catching and almost-kissing but we maintained boundaries.
Sasha:ALMOST KISSING???
Michelle:But we didn't. Boundaries maintained. Very professional.
Sasha:You're an idiot. You know that, right?
Michelle:I'm being cautious.
Sasha:You're being scared. There's a difference. How's Lucas?
Michelle:Fine. We baked cookies yesterday. He named my plant George. It's ridiculous.
Sasha:It's adorable.
Michelle:It's ridiculous.
