But, somehow, I’d reached for Brody. I hadn’t meant to, but the invisible pull had been too much. My fingers had itched to touch him from the moment I’d laid eyes on him climbing off that boat. My soul had called out for his the first moment I’d seen his paintings. The threads that tethered us to each other weren’t anything I could sever, even if I’d wanted to. I’d have to trust that they could withstand whatever life might throw at us. And that included Michael.

Brody slipped a hand under the hem of my t-shirt, the heat of his palm chasing away some of the ice-cold fear. His thumb swept back and forth across my skin. “You’re stronger now. There are people who have your back. We’ll fight with you.”

I tried my best not to let my body stiffen at his words, but I was only partially successful. “I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

“It won’t. And the more people who know what’s happening, the better. We’ll have more eyes. Only those you trust.”

When I searched my mind for who landed in that category, there were more than I would’ve thought possible a few years ago. Caelyn and Griffin. Bell and Ford. Hunter. And even though I knew them less, Kenna and Crosby. They were in that circle simply because I knew they were in Caelyn’s and Bell’s trusted circle. Maybe it was time to let people into the life I’d left behind. Let them in to help me fight for the future I wanted. “Okay.”

Brody pulled back slightly. “Okay?”

I nodded. “I think you’re right. It’s time to stop holding onto so many secrets. If I’m constantly worried about hiding, I’ll never be free.”

He tugged on a strand of my hair. “Wise.”

I shook my head but smiled. “I might’ve heard it once or twice from this incredibly stubborn man I know.”

“Stubborn, huh?” Brody released his hold on my hair, his hand going to my waist.

I moved in closer, my body pressing against the hard planes of muscle in his. “He’s pushy, too.”

“Demanding?” he asked, the hand at my waist slipping under my t-shirt.

My breath caught as his fingers traveled up to the lace of my bralette. His thumb swept across my nipple and everything in me tightened. “Definitely demanding.”

His thumb circled the peak, teasing and toying. “Sounds like he’d be hell to live with.”

“It certainly provides a fair number of challenges.”

In a flash, my shirt was whipped over my head, and I grinned. “You gonna take me upstairs?”

Brody’s lips twitched. “I don’t know, I’ve become pretty partial to kitchen counters.” My blood heated at the reminder of our christening of the studio. “You want our bed?”