Page 147 of Suite 7

Her phone buzzes against the cushion. She reaches for it, and I watch her face change as she reads — not dramatically — just a small shift, the same stillness she gets when a piece of news confirms something she already suspected.

“Sloane?”

She shows me.

Sloane: Still good for one PM? Lisa texted this morning, she met someone else! Can you believe it? I told her nobody’s more perfect than my big brother but her loss lol. Already have someone even BETTER in mind for him!

“We end this today,” I say. “No more lying.”

“No more secrets,” she says, while texting back.

Vera: See you at 1.

She sets the phone down. “I need to go home and change.”

“Stay.” My arms tighten automatically. “You look perfect.”

“I’m wearing your t-shirt and nothing else.”

“Exactly. Perfect.”

She laughs despite herself. “Kane, I can’t show up like this.”

“Why not?”

“Because your sister will have questions.”

I’m quiet for a moment. “Five more minutes.”

“We don’t have five minutes.”

“Kane—”

“One.” I pull her closer. “Give me one more minute.”

She softens. Burrows into my chest. “Okay. One minute.”

Sixty-five seconds later. “Now, I need to go.” She stands. “I need to shower, change⁠—”

My hand catches hers. “Stay…”

“I have to go.”

“One more minute.” I pull her back onto my lap. “Just one.”

She laughs, squirming. “You keep saying that.”

“Because I mean it every time.”

She manages to slip free. Takes a step back. I catch her wrist, reel her back in, and she shriek-laughs as my arm wraps around her waist, lifting her off her feet entirely.

“Not fair,” she gasps between laughs. “You’re faster.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you ran.”

I set her on the counter. Step between her legs. Blocking any escape.

“Caught you.”