He nodded.
And just like that, the real world crept back in. We were Simon’s friend and Simon’s sister again.
“See you tomorrow,” I said, then huffed a soft laugh. “Well, today.”
I turned to go, but Owen caught my wrist, pulling me back. He stood, his hand sliding up to my face, his touch warm, steady. “Goodnight, Rio.”
“Goodnight,” I whispered, not because my voice would have caught, but because emotion—deep and unexpectedly overwhelming—swelled inside me.
He leaned in and kissed me, soft and lingering, his lips brushing over mine again and again.
Before I left, I smiled at him from the door, then slipped out.
In the hall, I tiptoed to my room, closed the door behind me, and collapsed onto my bed, grinning at the ceiling like the happiest woman alive.
I knew Owen was leaving soon. I knew nothing more would come of this. But the future, with the feelings and longings it would bring, was still two days away.
18
Owen
YOU DIDN’T FOOL ME, Rio. You wanted it just as much. And keeping each other at arm’s length? That was never going to last.
I went to bed with her that night, anyway.
She wasn’t there in body, but she was in my mind, in my blood—maturely beautiful as she was now, dissolving against me like she had back then.
Every touch. Every gasp, moan, and sigh. Every taste of her lips, every revelation beneath her clothes of the Rio I hadn’t known before that night. My hands and lips had mapped her, learning every inch of skin—the soft roundness of her breasts, the hardness of her nipples, the yielding curve of her neck, the smooth skin of her stomach, the tender strength of her thighs, and the taste of the wet, pulsating heat between them.
If I wasn’t too busy chasing her ghost with my own hand alone in my bed tonight, I might have been surprised by how much I remembered. Sixteen years, and yet that night lived in my bones. And now—now fresh memories from just twohours ago layered over the old ones, turning my resolve to stay away from Rio into nothing but ashes.
And I knew, with unrelenting certainty, that I would seteverythingin flames if she let me.
Win. Lose. I didn’t care. Ihadto have her.
19
Rio
“TELL ME YOU’RE ALREADYon your second coffee,” Ruby said. “You sound like you wrestled a bear last night.”
“Not far off.” I stifled a yawn, trying to focus on the road, on my tired mind, and Ruby over the phone.
“Ohhh, do tell.”
“Walter kept me up watching detective shows,” I half-lied, remembering I had stayed up late on purpose. “And Owen just ... With all his Owen-ness.”
Ruby’s chuckle rang through my car. “Owen-ness? Is that code for ‘he looked too hot, and now I’m suffering’?”
I groaned. “No. Maybe. Shut up.”
“I knew it! You have it bad. Just admit it and let the healing begin.”
I didn’t respond right away. The sound of the wheels on the asphalt and the hum of the air outside filled the silence. I could be quiet like this with Ruby.
“We kissed.”
Ruby, on the other end of the line, was clearly choking on air. “You know I need details, right?”
