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“Go get him, Bri.” Zeta gave her a little shove on the shoulder.
Elisa got to her feet, brushed off her Very-Hungry-Caterpillar costume and squeezed Bria’s fingers. “And tell him we expect to see him at the breakfast table at eight so we can get to know him better.”
“Eight?” Zeta rolled her eyes at Elisa. “I’m not getting up at eight.”
“Eight-thirty?”
“Eighty-thirty, I can do.” Zeta nodded and then smirked at Bria. “Tell Steve Irwin we’ll interrogate him at eight-thirty tomorrow morning during breakfast.”
Bria raised her eyebrows, shook her head with a huffed sigh, and squeezed Elisa’s fingers back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Elisa smiled. “I’m very much okay. Go have fun with the possible love of your life. Zet and I will go buy some earplugs before we come back to the apartment.”
“Speak for yourself.” Zeta snorted. “I’m planning to listen to all of it. Glass to the door and everything.”
“And I’m outta here.” Bria laughed. “We’ll set the ground rules for the interrogation at eight-fifteen. Don’t be late.”
She leant forward, kissed Elisa on the cheek, followed up with one for Zeta, and then weaved her way back out from behind the palm trees.
His heart kicked its way up into second gear at the sight of Bria walking towards him again. He leant back against the bar, propping his elbows on the cool surface, and lifted the can of beer in his right hand as she stopped in front of him.
“People keep giving me these,” he said. “I open my mouth and say something, and suddenly they give me a Fosters. I don’t have the heart to tell them real Aussies don’t drink it.”
Without a word, she took the can from him, placed it on the bar next to his elbow, pressed her body to his, and kissed him.
Without hesitation, he smoothed his hands around her waist and up and back, returning her kiss. Hell, he loved kissing her. Loved seeing her. Loved listening to her.
Everything about her was amazing, and he hadn’t planned to find amazing on the other side of the world as he waited to find out if he had many days left.
What did he do now?
Surrender to every second you have with her. And make every second count.
He pulled her closer, kissed her deeper, and refused to think of anything else.
Letting out a soft moan, she pulled away a little and met his gaze. “If I were to ask you to stay the night with me—”
“I’d say yes.”
She laughed, pulling back a fraction more. “There’s a condition, a qualifier. Well, two, actually.”
Lips twitching, he cocked an eyebrow, resting his hands on the curve of her hips. “And they are?”
“One, my sisters are going to interrogate the hell out of you in the morning during breakfast.”
“I can handle that.” He pursed his lips with a melodramatic frown. “I think. And two?”
She grew still against his body, her stare holding his. “Even though this might scare you off, I’m all about being honest and upfront, so I need to tell you there is a very distinct possibility I might already be falling for you. Quite substantially.”
Owen’s throat grew tight. Upfront and honest.
You should tell her. Be as upfront as she is. Tell her what you’re waiting to find out. You like her, and she likes you, and this could go…somewhere. Now’s the perfect time to tell her you’ve got your own qualifier before things get too serious.
Pulse pounding, he opened his mouth. “While I’ve been waiting for you, I’ve been wondering how similar the US education system is to the Australian one.”
That wasn’t what he’d planned to say. He had been wondering that while waiting for her to come back out from behind the palms, but the two countries’ education systems had nothing to do with being upfront about his possible diagnosis.
She bit her bottom lip, a smile in her eyes. “Why?”
