“I didn't say anything.”
“You were thinking it.”
His grin told her she was absolutely right.
When the lock finally clicked open, she pushed the door inward and stepped into the room. The room looked exactly as she'd left it, the bedside lamp illuminating the faded floral bedspread while the air conditioner hummed steadily beneath the window.
She set her purse on the dresser and turned around as the door shut behind Seth.
The atmosphere inside the room immediately shifted. It grew heated, and her pulse picked up as she looked at him.
Hours of anticipation crowded into the silence. She'd spent days wondering what it would be like to kiss him again, catching herself smiling whenever he smiled, and trying to convince herself this was a bad idea.
That last part no longer rang true.
Seth crossed the room without a word and stopped in front of her. His hand slid around to the nape, his thumb brushing lightly along her jaw.
The gesture was simple, gentle, and somehow more intimate than anything else he'd done.
She smiled and rested her hands against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her palms.
His eyes softened before he lowered his head and kissed her.
The moment his mouth touched hers, the weight she'd been carrying seemed a little lighter. Everything she was worried about was still there, but it receded enough for her to focus on the man holding her.
Seth's hands glided slowly up her sides. The touch sent a shiver through her, not because it surprised her, but because she knew those hands. Knew how they felt against her skin, how easily they could make her forget her own name when they were determined enough.
She noticed small things she'd overlooked before—the scratch of stubble against her cheek, the clean scent of his soap, the way his thumb moved back and forth as though he couldn't stop touching her.
His hands slid down to cup her ass.
A surprised laugh escaped her.
“Damn, I missed you,” he murmured.
Her heart squeezed.
She answered by wrapping her arms a little tighter around his neck and kissing him again. She didn't trust herself to speak. Every day she delayed telling him the truth gave her another reason to keep putting it off. Another memory she didn't want to lose. Another person she stood to hurt when everything finally came out.
Tonight, she simply enjoyed being close to him.
Seth drew back far enough to look at her, and his gaze swept over her face. “You know,” he said, tucking another loose strand behind her ear, “for someone who spent days avoiding me, you seem pretty happy to see me.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. “Maybe I changed my mind.”
“Glad to hear it.” The husky rumble of his voice made her stomach flutter.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” His answer came without hesitation, as though there had never been another possibility.
For a moment, all she could do was stare at him. Unwavering confidence, genuine sincerity, and unguarded affection—he wore them as naturally as he drew his next breath.
She was definitely falling for him—hard. The realization carried a surprising weight. Not because it was new. Because she could no longer pretend otherwise.
Sliding her fingers into his hair, she drew him back down to her. His mouth brushed hers in another sweet kiss before deepening it, and when she parted for him, the last fragile thread of restraint between them snapped.
Seth felt like the luckiest man alive. Whatever reasons Shylo had for avoiding him didn't seem to matter at the moment because she was back in his arms.
