THE SILENCE between us was palpable. And a second later, Miles dropped his hands and took a step back.

“I want you, Shelby. I’ve loved you since we were kids. But if that’s too much, if you’re not ready, I understand.”

Tears pricked my eyes. I still had so much wrong with me. I was broken, and he didn’t deserve a broken person. Not when I knew I could never be healed. “Miles…” I wiped at my tears, hating that even after everything I was still so weak.

He brought his gaze back up to mine and frowned. He stepped back up to me and brought his thumb to my cheek and wiped. “I don’t want you to cry. You’ve done enough of that. I just want you to let me love you.” His fingers lingered on my skin. “I just want to love you.”

“But what if I’m too broken, Miles? What if I can never be fixed?”

He stared at me. “We’re all a little broken somehow. All we can hope to find in this life is that person who gathers and protects all of our broken pieces until we’re ready to heal.”

A sob escaped my lips. I’d spent so much of my life fearing what my past had made me become. Fearing that I was never going to be whole again. And yet, Miles didn’t see it that way.

He was just waiting for me to be ready to heal.

His hands were on my waist as he pulled me into his chest. I let him hold me as I sobbed into his shirt. There was so much being said between his body and mine, that words weren’t necessary.

He shifted so he could slip his arms around my back and my knees and lift me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulder as he carried me into his room. He laid me on his bed before going to shut the door.

The moon’s light shone into the room, lighting the darkness. I curled onto my side and cried into his blankets. Miles dragged over a chair and sat near me, letting me cry like I hadn’t for so long.

There was still so much about my past that I needed to face, but the idea that I didn’t need to face it alone scared and thrilled me at the same time. My body couldn’t seem to process that idea, and the only thing I could do to relieve the stress that had built up inside of me, was to cry.

It didn’t help that I was also a little hungover from the shots at the bar.

“Come with me,” Miles said, once my tears had subsided and I was just lying there. His hand appeared above me, so I moved onto my back and slipped my hand into his.

He helped me off the bed and guided me over to his bathroom. He turned on the water and took a step back as steam filled the room. He glanced at my dress and then dropped his gaze. “A shower always helps me feel better.”

I nodded, chewing on my lip as the heat between us matched the humidity that now coated the mirror and walls. “Okay.”

He studied me for a moment, the desire in his gaze so strong that it took my breath away. Then he blinked, breaking our connection, and turned to go.

“Help me?” I asked, desperate to keep him here if only for a few seconds longer.

He paused. “What?”

“With my zipper. Will you help me?” I turned, pulling my hair over my shoulder and exposing my back. When he didn’t move right away, I feared that I’d misread the situation until I felt his fingers brush my neck.

Shivers rushed across my skin even though the room felt like it was going to light on fire. I closed my eyes as he gripped the top of my zipper, and the pressure of the dress on my body lessened as he slid it down. His breathing changed as the air around me hit my now exposed skin.

I wondered what he was thinking as he stood there, staring at the lace of my bra and underwear. Did he want me as much as I wanted him?

“There,” he murmured, his voice so low that I almost didn’t hear him.

I held my dress to my chest as I turned around. “Thanks.”

He nodded, his gaze meeting mine. We just stood there as if we were too scared to move. To break the connection that was buzzing between us. I stared at him through my lashes, wanting him to make a move. If he kissed me right now, I would let him.

Suddenly, his hands were on my waist as he pulled me against his body. I let go of my dress which dropped to the floor as I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips found mine, and my entire body sunk into the feeling of his hands on my bare back, then my waist, then to my shoulder blades.

“Shelby,” he whispered for a split second before he crushed his mouth to mine once more.

He lifted me up to meet him, my body pressing against his chest, his hips…everything. I could feel everything. And I wanted to feel more.

I parted my lips and he groaned. Our tongues spun and twirled around each other, tasting, feeling, enjoying. I wanted every part of him, so when he set me down onto the vanity, I wrapped my legs around him, bringing him even closer to me.

He responded by gripping onto my thigh with one hand as his other arm held me firmly around my back. The heat from the shower mixed with the desire we felt for each other had my skin pricking. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with this. All I knew was that if I didn’t stop now, I wasn’t going to have the strength to resist. Not when I could feel his fingers drag across my skin and bra strap like he was enjoying the feeling of the lace of my bra.

“Miles,” I murmured as I pulled back.

He dropped his head to my neck as he gently pressed kisses across my collarbone. “Shelby,” he whispered against my skin.

“I’m not sure I can stop if we go any farther.”

He stopped kissing me as my words registered with him. He pulled back and looked at me. “I’m so sorry. Did I take it too far?” He moved to step back, but I shook my head as I wrapped my legs tighter around him, grabbing his shirt to keep him there.

“I want to…” I was scared to meet his gaze, but I forced myself to. “Experience that with you.” I chewed my lips, causing his gaze to drift to my mouth. I could see the desire in his gaze. It matched my own.

“But I don’t want it to be when I’m half-drunk like this.”

He studied me for a moment before he nodded. I unhooked my legs from around his waist, and he helped me down. I fell into his chest, and he just held me against him, his hand holding my head as his cheek was tucked next to me.

“I’ll wait for when you’re ready,” he whispered as he dipped his lips to my ear. The warmth of his breath mixed with the feeling of his mouth next to my skin sent ripples of pleasure through me. “But when you are…” He pulled back and stared at me. “I’ll show you exactly how I feel about you.”

Desire burned in my stomach, but I knew I needed some more time to heal before I walked into another relationship. Especially a relationship with a man I had so much history with. I needed to be wise for both of us before he and I moved our relationship to that level. Belle was a part of this story, and I needed to think about her as well.

“And I’ll do the same,” I whispered, chewing my bottom lip as I stared up at him through my hooded eyes.

He quirked an eyebrow and then closed his eyes and tipped his head back. He let out a low moan. “I’m getting out of here before I lose my resolve to stay away from you.”

I laughed, but it died down when he walked out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Now alone, I hugged myself. This evening had been filled with such extreme emotions that I was left shaking. Partly from desire for the man on the other side of the door and partly because, somewhere inside of me, a dam had broken.

And as much as I wanted to believe that I could heal quickly, I knew I couldn’t. Not when I was as broken as I was.

After I showered, I wrapped a towel around my body and opened the bathroom door. Miles had changed into his pajamas and was lying on his side, propped up by his elbow. He looked up, and as soon as he saw me, he growled and flipped to his back. “Shelby, this isn’t fair.”

I giggled as I held onto the towel. “I just need something to change into.”

He peeked over at me before he jumped off the bed and hurried over to his dresser to pull out a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He didn’t stop when he got close to me, instead, he wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me in for a kiss.

I giggled against his lips, but he didn’t let me go. He teased my lips with his tongue until I opened them and let him in. Heat raced through my

stomach like hot lava, and I felt myself slipping back into the desire I felt for him.

I wanted him so much. But I was also scared of what that meant for me. So, I pulled back, giving him a scolding look. I pressed my fingers to my lips as a sheepish look passed over his face. He shrugged and then moved to face-plant into the bed.

I changed in the bathroom. When I came back out, Miles was under the covers. He flipped the corner of the comforter over and patted the bed. “I promise, no shenanigans.” Then he waggled his finger at me. “I’m not to be taken advantage of.”

I laughed and slipped onto the bed, pulling the blankets over my body. He patted his chest and I laid my head down on it, reveling in the sound of his breathing.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as his body stilled. “I want you to know that all I’ve ever wanted to do is protect you. I know we have things to talk about and demons to face, but I want you to know that I will always be here…waiting for you.”

I stared at his chest and drew circles with my finger, enjoying the feeling of his soft t-shirt on my fingertips. “I know.”

“And when you’re ready, I will love you with every part of me.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

“I know,” I said. It was barely a whisper from all the emotions in my throat.

“And when that day comes, I’m going to marry you. Because I never want you to leave.” He paused. “I want you to be my wife and Belle’s mother.”

I closed my eyes as tears filled them once more. It was one thing to feel Miles’s love for me. It was something completely different to hear that he wanted me to be Belle’s mother. My choices toward Miles and this inn just became that much more real.

I knew I could survive the heartbreak if something happened between me and Miles. After all, I still had a life in New York. I still had Titan, though I hadn’t even messaged him since I got here.

But I could never break that little girl’s heart. I lived to make her happy.

Every choice I made, I needed to keep her in mind.

I was going to do the one thing that the adults in my life never did for me. I was going to think of her.

Not wanting to face the future and what my decisions now meant, I moved to press my lips to Miles’s once more and then snuggled against his chest. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” I said as my eyelids grew heavy.

Miles tightened his arm around my shoulders and nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Darkness fell around me as my body sunk into the mattress and my mind grew still. I felt safe and protected, and right now, that was all I needed.

The next morning, I woke to an empty bed. I stretched out my hand to feel for Miles, but he was gone. I sat up, feeling disappointed that he wasn’t here to wake me up. That he had let me go at some point in the morning.

I pulled off the blankets and slipped my feet onto the floor. After quickly brushing my teeth and fixing my hair so I didn’t look like a monster, I padded through the room and out to the hallway. I heard voices as I neared the kitchen, and just as I stepped into the room, Miles stood from the chair he’d been sitting in.

His eyes were wide and his gaze frantic as he started walking over toward me. But then he stopped. “You’re up,” he said.

I nodded. And the woman he’d been talking to stood up as well. She was my age, and her eyes were bloodshot as she raked her gaze over me. With a confused look, she focused back on Miles.

“Who is this?” she asked.

Miles glanced between us a few times before his gaze settled on me. He sighed as he extended his hand toward the woman.

“Shelby, meet Tamara.” He paused and took in a breath. “This is Belle’s mom.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading The Inn on Harmony Island. There is still so much of Miles and Shelby’s story to tell, plus Abigail and new residents on Harmony Island.

Make sure you grab the next book in the Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman series, The Shop Around the Corner to find out what happens next!