Emilio’s POV

Of all the things he could’ve said, that wasn’t the one I was prepared for. My mind spun, tripping over a dozen reasons to say no. It was late. I was tired. I needed to calm down. I needed space. Letting him in would only make things worse.

But I’d never been good at making smart choices.And something about the way he asked — casual, like it was no big deal — made my chest twist.

I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah… sure. You can come in.”

He swung off the bike with that same easy confidence he always carried, then fell into step behind me. Each footstep he...