“You—” I start, but words aren’t enough.
Therearen’twords.
Not words that she’ll believe.
So instead, I let my body talk for me.
Carefully—I don’t want to hurt her ankle—but there are still things I can do to show her that won’t hurt her.
I shut up, and I brush a thumb over her jawline while I study those ever-tired blue eyes of hers.
There’s no makeup. No hiding the wariness mixed with—is that hope?
Does shewantme?
Does she still?
Am I more thanthat cute plumber with the nice assto her?
“I admire you so much for the person you are today,” I tell her.
Her nose wrinkles.
And that’s it.
That little nose wrinkle of doubt is the last straw.
This woman needs to know she’s worthy.
And I’m the man for the job.
Chapter 29
Tavi
Dylan’s kissing me.
He knows I’m a total disaster. He knows I’m leaving, even if he doesn’t know how soon. I smell like the hospital, where I bribed a nurse into letting me walk out of the exam room on crutches and pulled the privacy card to keep her from telling Gigi I’m not injured, and I definitely still have sawdust on random parts of me, and I have guilt smeared all over my soul, but I still don’t stop Dylan from kissing me.
I don’t want him to stop.
Ever.
Did he mean it?
Did he mean I’m someone he loves? That he feels the same way about me that I feel about him?
I should feel awful for not telling him my plans, but I can’t put that on him. I can’t ask him to carry one more burden for me, especially when I can’t see how we can have a future.
He belongs here. I belong in Costa Rica.
But I can give him tonight.
I can give him right now and hope he forgives me if I don’t come back.
My bed barely has room for both of us, but it’s not too small.
Not when he’s holding me this close and tasting my lips and threading his hand through my hair, teasing the shell of my ear and setting my nerve endings on fire.
