Over dinner, Malia learned a couple of things. First, that Zephyr's sister was the most beautiful woman she'd ever met in her life. Second, she was also the sweetest. Third, she would run over you like a tornado. Delilah was fast talking and seemed to have everything right at her fingertips. So she always seemed to pull things out of thin air just to be useful. It was intimidating, and funny, and amazing. And man did she ever bust Zephyr’s balls.

Delilah's husband, Nate, well, after she got over staring at him, she found him intelligent, and funny. He had the uncanny ability to bust Delilah's balls too, which made the whole scenario even funnier. And oh yeah, he was hot as Satan's balls.

Like seriously, he'd been wearing a motorcycle jacket when she first saw him. Blond hair, ridiculous jawline. A dusting of stubble on his jaw. He always had a quick smile for his wife. And goddamn that smile was dazzling. One thing that was apparent was that they loved each other. Zephyr was part of the kind of family where love was ever present and overflowing.

What was that like? Oh you remember. She'd had parents like that and for the most part, that was how she'd grown up. With unconditional love. Maybe that was why it was hard to watch now.

"Hmm, I'll just start the dishes." She needed a second to recalibrate her brain, to tamp down the flare of envy. To allow the stinging in her eyes a moment or two to dissipate.

Zephyr shook his head. "No. You're a guest."

"I didn't cook, so I'll clean. That's how it goes.” She shrugged and avoided his gaze. She knew they had a conversation coming. And she wasn't entirely looking forward to it.

Delilah shifted. "I'll help."

Malia shook her head. "Oh God no. I'll do it. I mean, you cooked."

Delilah's grin was easy. "It'll give me a chance to get to know you better.”

Oh great, there'd be no reprieve from the effervescent Delilah Donovan. Fantastic. In the kitchen, Malia stacked dishes in the sink and grabbed the scrubber to scrape off the food. Maybe the sound of running water would make it too hard to talk.

But the moment Malia turned on the water, Delilah strolled over and turned it off. "I think you're fantastic."

Malia stared at her for a moment. “Uh, thank you?" She wished she was more like Zephyr here. Better with people. Less closed off. That would make the small talk conversations a lot easier.

"I know you are freaking out. I can see something is happening with you two. You just have to be a little patient with my brother. He always does what he thinks is right. Sometimes without asking if you want it.”

Malia sighed. "You obviously know him well. He's great. And amazingly kind and generous. Honestly, I don't know where I would be right now, if not for him. He just doesn't get that I can't go all-in."

"And that's the thing. Zephyr will tell you he doesn't need a thank you. But he does need something. He's got his pride. I mean, what man doesn't, right?" Delilah laughed.

Malia chuckled too. She didn't know what to say.

"All he wants is to know that you're feeling whatever you guys got going on too. On his worst days, he can be possessive—"

"Tell me about it. Like you want to scream, ‘I'm not a toy. You can't fight over me. You can't dictate to me. Ask me. Don't tell me.’"

"Yeah, that sounds like him. Willing to give himself, but not willing to give the words and tell you what he's feeling, thinking. He needs to use his words."

Malia smiled. "Oh, he used them all right. Just at the wrong time."

Delilah asked, "How do you feel about him?"

I want to be with him. I want to keep him. The thought was immediate and unfiltered. It terrified her. "I care about him. Just this whole situation is not—" She stopped. She wasn't sure how much Zephyr had told Delilah.

"The mentor thing or the you-needing-a-place-to-stay thing?”

Malia nodded. "Okay, so he told you?"

"Yeah. I got the impression that he was doing something he knew would probably get him in trouble but didn't really care."

"Honestly, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. We met before the whole mentor thing. But then he realized what was going on with me. And I moved in here. And we tried to stay away from each other but I guess you see what happened.”

”You guys are adorable though.” Delilah grinned.

"I hope you're right. Because right now we can't seem to get anything together. I have no idea how to talk to him. To make him understand."

“It'll work out. Just talk to him.”

Zephyr leaned in the door frame. “You guys almost done?”

She tried not to salivate. No. She was going to remain calm and rational and not watch the way his T-shirt stretched over his muscles. Yeah, good luck with that.

Delilah darted a gaze between them. “I think that's our cue to go.”

* * *

When Nate and Delilah were gone, she turned to him. “I guess we need to talk.”

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess do."

"I like your sister. She's like this little powerhouse."

Zephyr nodded. "Yeah, that's Delilah for you. If you're not careful, she'll take over your whole world and will somehow make you happy about it."

"Must run in the family."

His gaze narrowed imperceptibly. "Is that why you're mad at me? I took over your life?"

She shook her head. "I'm not mad at you."

"You sure about that? Because it sure feels that way."

“You sure you're not mad at me? Whatever that was in your office sure felt like you were mad.”

He cursed low. “I've never done that before. I—lost total control. I was just so—” He cursed again, running his hands through his hair. Then he took a deep breath. “I love you. It hurt that you only think of this as fun and convenient.”

“I—I don't. You've just never said anything and well, I figured I was convenient.”

“Fuck. After everything? You really thought that?”

Malia shook her head. "Jesus. My life was a complete disaster. I mean, toxic. I was sleeping on a park bench. That's the kind of shit that was going on in my life. That is why my life is complicated. And you know what? Maybe you were right that first time we officially met. Maybe it was too much." She swiped away tears. “I only know how to survive. And everything that's happened has felt real. I'm waiting for it to vanish. Waiting for you to vanish.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I love you.”

She shook her head. “It doesn't feel real. You've taken care of me. You didn't even blink when I told you Eva was in trouble. You just calmly grabbed your stuff and drove me. You can be a little intimidating, especially since I couldn't fix any of that myself. And I've been managing all of it since my parents died and it just sucks knowing that I was terrible at it. And it sucks knowing that I'm terrible at taking care of myself. You run in like a white knight when I think I don't need one. And you fix everything. And it makes me feel like I'm incapable."

He frowned. "I never meant to make you feel like that. All I want to do is help. All I want to do is make you happy." He ran a hand through his dark, inky hair. "Jesus Christ, all I want is for shit to go well for you. And you're in a fucking hurry to get away from me."

Her stomach knotted. "I'm not. Zephyr, just like you need to take care of people, I need to know that I can stand on my own. Every single time I have counted on someone, believed that I would trust them forever, I was disappointed. My parents are gone. Mabel is the worst. Anthony—" She bit her tongue. “I've just been disappointed over and over, and it scares me. This is more than I dared hope for, and I am terrified of you ripping my heart out.”

“Not going to happen. I love you. I've known it from the second I caught you sneaking canapés.”

Tears pricking her lids, she studied him. “I love you too.”

The burst of euphoria through her chest was immediate, and it warmed her from her center to the tips of her fingers through her toes. "Zephyr, this is risky. Tanashi, when he finds out—I could get kicked out of the program. You could lose your fellowship. I need this program."

Zephyr wrapped her in his arms. "It’s all almost over. Nothing is going to happen to you. But no matter what, if this becomes a problem, I'll take the hit. After all, you're the student."

"I hear you." She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "But, I don't want that either. I know what this fellowship means to you.”

"It won't come to that. Have a little faith.”

"I'm running low on faith right now."

"I love you. I have enough faith for us both.” He dipped his head, brushing his lips over hers, and she knew it was going to hurt when she had to let him go eventually.