Page 189 of Dream On, Liar

The confidence had disappeared from her face. Something softer had replaced it, something that made my chest tighten all over again.

I reached up and brushed my thumb gently against her cheek.

Her breath caught.

Then I kissed her.

Slowly at first.

A question.

She answered by curling her fingers into my shirt and pulling me closer.

The kiss deepened, and my heart thudded hard against my ribs. I felt her smile against my mouth, and suddenly Scrabble, the score, winning, the stupid promise, all of it became completely irrelevant.

There was only her.

I pulled back just enough to breathe.

She looked at me.

“You still owe me another 145 kisses.”

“You cheated.”

I laughed quietly. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Her eyes narrowed playfully, before she leaned in and kissed me again.

And because I knew this moment had an ending, I let myself forget about the reality for one more minute.

I had been playing for time.

And I was running out of both.

I just needed to find a way to make sure I could keep her.

Maeve

THE MORNING HAD BEEN quiet in the cabin, the kind of quiet that made every small sound feel important. Rain tapped against the windows while I sat at the kitchen table, turning my coffee mug slowly between my hands.

“I was thinking of heading back home,” I said.

He looked up from where he was standing by the counter. “Really?”

“Yeah. My annual leave ends in a couple days, so it’d make sense to get back before and settle in.”

“How soon were you thinking?”

“Tomorrow, probably.” Or sooner. I wanted to say, as I tried to make it sound simple and practical response. “I was thinking of taking a flight. You’ve got so many things to tackle here, and I think that would be better. What do you think?”

His expression changed, though only slightly. “Sure. If that’s what you want. Have you thought any more about we talked about us?”

The question settled between us.

I looked down at my coffee. “I don’t know.”

“That’s not really an answer.”