His mouth finds mine, warm and soft, just like him.
The kiss is short and ever so real. And for one suspended second, neither of us moves away, our lips pressed together.
My insides are giggling, finally.
And just like that, the kiss is over.
I look up at him, my mouth and my heart protesting.
Bo steps back first.
His expression starts out warm and quick with a smirk, then turns stunned, and the warmth drains out of it as fast as it came. His jaw tightens. He looks at me like he’s trying to find the right thing to say and coming up empty.
His shoulders roll back, like he’s physically closing himself off. He takes another step away. He's going to apologize. I can see it forming. The careful retreat, the responsible distance. And I’ll be darned if he does it this time.
Before he can, I reach out and press my palmsflat against his chest. My hands are shaking. I can feel it, even if he can’t see it. His heartbeat is racing under my fingers, matching mine.
“Don’t you dare apologize for that,” I say, and my voice comes out steady even though everything inside me is trembling. “That was real. Don’t you dare pretend it wasn’t.”
His eyes search mine, and I see something shift in his face; conflict and want all tangled together. But he doesn’t pull away. Not yet.
A little piece of my heart breaks as rejection hits me, and a light burning behind my eyes tells me I’m about to cry.
But Bo doesn’t step away. He steps forward, placing his hands over mine, and rests his forehead against mine.
“I’m not going to apologize for that. I could never apologize for kissing you, Falon.” He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
“I can’t tell you how much I want this,” he says, kissing my forehead, then my nose, then my lips one more time. It is small and sweet, but I don’t care. It is the best thing ever.
“I want this too,” I say, seeing the control in his eyes.
“But we have to take this slow,” he says, his voice is rough and deep.
I nod and close my eyes. He rests his forehead against mine again. I don’t want this moment to end, but he sighs and reluctantly pulls away.
He reaches down, grabs the box, and heads outside, groaning in frustration. I smile and laugh.
I look up at the chandelier, and I stay there a long time. This is what I wanted, and now, I won’t let him go. Not for Tyler, not for anything in the world.
Chapter 17
Aftershock
Bo
The guest house is quiet at two in the morning.
It’s been hours, and I haven’t slept one wink.
I haven’t even come close.
Rowdy is stretched across the foot of the bed, one paw hanging off the edge, and lightly breathing. He keeps lifting his head to check on me. He knows something’s up.
I stare at the ceiling and try not to think about her.
But I think about her anyway.
The way she closed her eyes. The fact that she didn't pull back. The way she placed her hands on my chest and told me, "Don't you dare apologize." She already knew the words before I even said them. And she didn't want to hear them.
