“A lot better now that I ate. I was so hungry I hardly tasted it.” She’s wide-eyed, in the middle of a weird stony stare. It piques my nerves a little, as I can tell something is off. The unsettling light in her eyes avoids my gaze.
I sip on my cocoa and let out a slow sigh. “Sorry that I coerced you into coming. I guess I never even asked if you liked skiing.”
“Don’t apologize.” Her tone is serious and dark, void of sarcasm and even the newer flirty inflections I expect from her, but what she says next brings me mixed vibes. “I wanted to hang out with you.”
She levels her gaze with mine, and it yields so much force I didn’t doubt it could power the entire city of Mapleton. She sways a little toward me. I’m not a doctor but I suspect that has nothing to do with her injury or her medication.
I scoot a bit closer to her. “I’m glad you came, but I’m feeling guilty about putting so much pressure on you to ski. I hope you know you can be honest with me.” I scratch the back of my head, when her expression grows distant again. She seems to be in and out of concentration. “Is there something wrong?”
Her lashes waver again, before her gaze drops. Something is up with her. I risk a dumb joke to make her laugh. “Hey, is the sky still up there?”
Her gaze whips back to me, and her eyes narrow into a confused wince. “What?”
“Is the sky up there?”
“It hasn’t fallen yet, if that’s what you are implying.” She leaks out a sarcastic snort, her gaze finds mine, and it’s a bit of a lazy look. “You’re unreal.”
“It made you laugh.” I give her my mischievous grin, proud I lifted the mood.
She sputters out another chuckle. I pause to stare into Paisley’s fiery eyes as they glint smoky hues of blue. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, and it blows my mind how one person can change your life so fast.
I lean a little bit closer, and she doesn’t pull back. Her warmth kindles all around me. She’s near-kissing close, and just the simple thought of kissing sends my anxiety to full throttle as I struggle to move. Instead of continuing the conversation, we freeze together.
Her muted sweet scent wafts under my nose, igniting a rumble in my chest. There’s only one thing I want to do. My gaze shifts from her eyes to her lips. When she still doesn’t move, I consider that an invitation, leaning closer until I seal my lips to hers.
My heart releases a constriction.
After hearing her talk about kissing all afternoon, it’s the biggest relief to kiss her.
She quickly slaps her palms on my chest and pushes away from me, her brow lowering into a stare a parent would give a child who was caught red-handed with stolen cookies. Her breathless words rush out, “My father is Blake Anton.”
Blinking, my head jolts back. My lips are firing all the tingles, and I struggle to feel my face. It’s all gone numb. She wrecked our amazing moment with her horrid timing for admissions.
Blake Anton.
Thud.
She couldn’t have said anything more terrifying than that.
I blink, and my memories race. Never once do I remember hearing her last name. How did I miss that?
Sweat slathers my lower back, and I let out a giant sigh of distress.
If there was one thing Bill taught me—and he taught me a lot—he insists that Blake Anton is evil. There’s no way Bill or Blake will ever accept any situationship between Paisley and me.
“Talk about an ill-timed confession.” I run my fingertips over my lips, glad they are still there. I can’t feel them, and I murmur, “Why would you blurt that out now?”
“I knew Bill was your boss, but I had no idea you were related to him.” Her breathless heap of words tumbles out. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it ever since you mentioned it.”
I’m still holding her, and every drop of blood coursing through my veins is screaming this is so much more complicated than I could have ever thought.
My entire job exists solely because Bill wants to get revenge on her dad. There’s a collective moment of sobriety where we both seem to hold our breath, and it lasts for several long, agonizing minutes before I do something I would have never seen coming. I finally draw the mental boundary I’ve been waiting to make for so many years.
This is where I finally make decisions for myself.
I announce as if I’m proclaiming an oath. “Paisley, I don’t care about your dad, or Bill. I honestly don’t care about anyone but you.”
As if to seal my convictions, I lower my lips to press a kiss on her lips. It’s impossible not to kiss her when she’s in my arms.
