Stillness settled over both rooms until she heard only her own breath, fast and light. The silence teemed. The space between him unseen in the kitchen and her alone in the chair was alight with what felt like a million fireflies—a humming, living thing. She rose, letting the newspaper slide, and stepped under the archway.

Wearing only a simple pair of long johns, he stood with both hands splayed on the counter, staring out the window above the sink.

“Jonas?” she whispered.

He turned.

The ruddy hairs covering his body shone amber in the lamplight. His limbs were corded with work-hardened muscle. A single drop snaked over his collarbone, just as she imagined. Despite his near nakedness, he showed no embarrassment. No shame.

“We need to talk,” he said.

His tone was level, his expression inscrutable as the day they met. Her heart sank. She swallowed and steeled herself for the inevitable letdown: Look, it’s been fun, but we both know… “About what?” Her voice wobbled, and she winced.

With two quick strides, he came to her and cupped her face in his hands.

Startled, she grabbed his forearms, as much to keep from stumbling into the tub as to pull him closer. His chest heaved like his ribcage might splinter. His gaze could have melted Antarctica. He softened his hands on her cheeks, and his lips sought hers, but unlike their desperate kiss in the gazebo, this one didn’t feel like an ending. It felt like just the beginning. He deepened the kiss with delicious firmness, and she glided her arms over his shoulders, relishing the warmth of his skin.

“About how much I love you.” He met her gaze. “Mei wildi ros.”

Forget the hayloft. Hearing those words was a base jump from a skyscraper. Her heart soared. “I love you, too.” What glorious relief simply to say the words. She seized his lips, smiling into his kiss even as she tasted desire. Every inch of her—from her toes on the lumpy rag rug to the still-tender bump on her forehead—crackled like a Fourth of July sparkler catching a ride on a rocket ship. He was a walking pyrotechnic, and she was nothing but a bundle of fuses.

He kissed her again and again before finally pulling away. Locking his gaze on hers, he caressed down her arms and took her hands.

For the first time, his expression was utterly transparent. Not a wisp of a cloud shadowed his thoughts. They shone from his eyes with crystalline clarity. The room itself seemed to catch its breath, like it knew something important was coming.

He tightened his fingers around hers. “I am not a man of means, but I am a man of my word. I will never ask of you more than I am willing to give. Tessa Rose, I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”