She gave him a small smile and took his hand, shaking it solemnly. “Good.”
But she wanted more, now. She wanted an opening to tell him how she felt.
They stood there, her hand in his, for a long enough beat that her heart started to ache, and then he pulled her closer. She almost resisted the tug, but that would be foolish. She wanted a hug more than anything else, and she let herself relax against his chest.
He smoothed his hand over her hair.
“You deserve way better than a guy like me,” he said roughly. The rawness of his words and the matching burn in his eyes made her throat close tight.
Why on Earth would he think that? She shook her head. “That’s a stupid cliche. I deserve to be happy. To not have a guy throw barriers in my path to finding my own happiness.”
“Pretty sure I failed on that front today.”
“Yeah, you did.” She sighed.No kisses for you tonight, mister, she thought to herself. “But just today. And it’s just a stumbling block because…”
Because we didn’t see these big feelings coming.
Because we’re human and scared.
Because there’s a time limit here and we haven’t talked about that.
“Because I want to make you happy.”
Oh. That was a pretty good answer. She swallowed. “You do?”
“So much it scares me.”
Even better. Good that they were scared together. “I know the feeling.”
“But I really don’t think—”
At the end of the hall, the elevator dinged. She pulled back and got out her room key. She didn’t need to say anything for him to understand the conversation was over.
He waited a beat, then nodded. “Good night. I hope you sleep well.”
She let herself into her room, once again closing him out on the other side of the door. That didn’t feel right in the least, but she’d let him twist in it tonight. There was always tomorrow.
— —
Dean slept like total shit. His eyelids felt like sandpaper when he finally gave up pretending he was going to get any more rest and wrenched himself out of bed at half past five. He threw on his shoes and zipped his phone into a pocket in his running shoes, then hit the street. Dawn was just cracking over the horizon as he headed away from the hotel. He ran until the light changed, then turned around and pushed himself harder on the way back.
He walked up the six flights to his floor to cool down, but stopped short as soon as he stepped out of the stairwell.
Liana was approaching his room from the other direction.
She stopped, too.
“Morning,” he said, wiping sweat off his brow.
She started walking again, meeting him at his door.
He pushed the card into the slot. It lit up green and beeped, the sound loud in the early morning quiet of the muffled, carpeted hallway. Equally loud were his breathing and his heartbeat. He wasn’t ready for this, whatever it was. “You’re supposed to text me when you leave your room.”
She held up her phone, an unsent text message on the screen.I’m coming to your room.“I didn’t send it because I was afraid you might duck out if I did.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“I hoped not, but…”
