"I’m so sorry, little darling. I shouldn’t have?—"
"Don’t." She interrupts me. "Please don’t say it again."
She lowers her gaze as if she can no longer bear to look me in the eye.
Immediately, I hate myself even more. She seems to believe I’m about to say how much I regret the kiss.Again. But I’m not. God, no… How could I? It was perfect.Shewas perfect. Only a complete fool would regret that kiss.
I finally start walking toward her, wanting to make that perfectly clear, but she doesn’t let me get a word out.
"It’s okay," she says quickly, staring stubbornly at the ground between us. "It was stupid of me to think it meant anything to you."
"Hey. Look at me."
When she doesn’t respond, I place a finger under her chin and tilt her head up with light pressure because seeing her like this breaks my heart.
"It wasn’t stupid," I clarify when she finally looks at me. "I’m sorry I said the kiss was wrong."
She looks up at me with sad eyes because she doesn’t believe me. And I can’t even blame her. Not after I acted like a complete jerk.
"It wasn’t a mistake. I shouldn’t have said that."
My hand lifts to brush a strand of hair from her face, then rests against her neck as if of its own accord so that my thumb grazes her cheek. Her soft skin feels like coming home, but her gaze is so sad that a sharp pang shoots through my chest.
"So you don’t regret it?"
I shake my head. "No. I don’t regret it. Not at all."
"Are you going to kiss me again?"
Of course she’s asking that. After all, this is Sophie standing in front of me, dammit. Sophie, who asked me that night, which feels like decades ago, if I’m a serial killer. If she wants to know something, she just asks.
"Not like this," I answer honestly, stroking her cheek with my thumb one last time before lowering my hand. "Not without asking for your permission first."
A barely visible frown flits across her features. "But you will?"
I lower my eyes because a smile tugs at my lips. Instead of answering her, I reach around her, close the heavy steel door, and take the leash from her hand. "Come on. Let’s take Buster into the woods so he can pee on something other than that stupid bush." Then I turn away and head for the pickup because otherwise I’ll have to kiss her right then and there.
THIRTY-ONE
SOPHIE
He’s going to kiss me again.
He’s going to kiss me again.
Cole is going to kiss me again.
Ever since I got into his pickup, I can’t think about anything else. I didn’t even pay attention to where we were going until Cole stopped and turned off the engine. The dirt road ends a few feet ahead of us in the middle of the forest. The midday sun shines through the treetops and casts dots of light on the ground, while the scent of earth and leaves permeates the interior of the vehicle through the open windows.
After we get out, Cole opens the back door, unties the leash from Buster’s collar, and lets him jump out.
"What if he runs away?" Concerned, I look after the dog as it runs into the woods and disappears among the trees.
Cole slams the door shut and locks the truck while looking into the forest, putting on a smirk. "He won’t. He’s too smart to mess with me like that."
My heart warms as I watch him looking after Buster.That’s what he must have been like before Milena died,I think. Constantly wearing a smile on his face, always having the right line ready, and confident in himself.
Before wistfulness can rise in me, Cole turns to me. "Come on. Let’s take a walk."
