“I’m scared,” she admits, softly. Her brows knit together as white teeth snag on that lower lip he wants to suck on.
Yeah. He knows that feeling. “Me too.”
“You might change your mind about me.”
“Might change your mind aboutme.”
She shakes her head, her disappointment in herself plainly clear. “I’m not trying to be a tease. Really, I’m not. I’m all over the place from one moment to the next. That’s not fair to you.”
It doesn’t take much to figure out she’s heard that thrown her way from one of the ex’s at some point or another. “I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
“What were you thinking?”
“That I like being here with you.”
She only frowns deeper. “Even after I nearly got you killed by a bear?”
“I think that’s the bear’s fault.”
“I wanted to go over the mountain instead of around, and then I got mesmerized by the cub, and now here you are with a sore shoulder.”
He snorts out a laugh, even though he shouldn’t. She’s looking for shit to claim the blame for, and while he ain’t sure where that’s coming from, he’s not about to let it happen. “Last I checked, I wanted to go over, too. We’re blaming the bear. End of story. The bear. Alright?”
Reluctantly, she relents. “Okay. We blame the bear. Technically, it’s not her fault either, though, because she was protecting her cub.”
“Oh my god,” he groans with a shake of his head. “Blame my brother for getting married in fucking Alaska, then?”
“Fair enough.”
“Good. Should we keep going?” He holds up the bottle with a shake and gets a yawn in return.
“Think I’m already over the limit. Can I…stay here with you? Just to sleep.”
He nods his agreement rather than sound far too excited should he speak it.
They got within a few millimeters of a first kiss, and while it should feel like a failure not to make contact, somehow he thinks they’re closer now than they’ve ever been.
* * *
They begin the morning the way the previous afternoon ended. Their sleep schedules are fucked, but none of that matters because Nora is carefully curling up next to him, and yeah, it’s a little awkward at first, but then she’s warm and heavy against his side and it’s better than anything has a right to be.
They don’t have as many layers on anymore. He’s keenly aware of every curve and swell of her body. Wonders if it’s okay to rub her back and gives it one testing stroke that barely goes a few inches past her shoulders.
No protest. In fact, she makes a pleased sound at the back of her throat, a slight hum of encouragement, so he does it again…waits a few seconds…and again, repeating that pattern until he’s sure she’s enjoying it and those uneven strokes turn smooth.
The corners of his lips turn up, betraying how happy he is about his current situation.
He’s been afraid to entertain the idea before, but now, in the aftermath of an almost kiss and a night spent tangled together, he wonders if one day she might be his, just like he wishes he could be hers.
Chapter 9
Nora’s on the plane again and she can’t move.
Iris’s strawberry blonde hair peeks out from the seat ahead, and Theo’s plastered to the seat at her left. Everyone she cares about, everyone she can’t lose, are all on this doomed plane begging for help as if she could stop it from crashing.
Every plea goes unanswered. The string stitching her lips closed keeps her from giving any reassurances or soon-to-be broken promises. It keeps herI love yousat bay along with those apologies for not being better, stronger, braver.
She can’t reach for them when her arms are stuck to the seat, molded into the armrests. They call out to her over and over again, close enough to touch, and so far away they may as well be a football field apart. The plane dips and dives, spiraling out of control until it crashes into a smoldering heap, encasing everyone right along with it.
