Nova’s voice goes tiny. “I’m going to do something stupid.”
My chest tightens.
“Nova,” I warn, but it comes out like her name is a prayer.
She rises onto her toes and kisses me. It is desperate and hot and messy in the way that makes my control go white around the edges.
My hands come up without permission, one at her waist, one at her back, holding her like she might fall.
My body surges with need so hard it makes my head spin.
I kiss her deeper, hunger snapping loose, and she makes a sound that cuts straight through my chest.
She’s warm. She’s real. She’s here.
And I want.
I want too much.
I force myself to slow, to breathe, to keep it from turning into something I can’t take back. I keep my hands where they are, firm but careful, because she’s not a thing to consume. She’s a person.
And she’s vulnerable.
Nova pulls back a fraction, breathless, eyes wide.
My mouth is still on hers, barely. My forehead rests against hers like I need the contact to stay upright.
I close my eyes.
This is a mistake.
A beautiful one.
A deadly one.
But my body already knows.
This woman is going to ruin me.
And I’m not sure I have the strength to stop it.
Chapter 5
Nova
Dinnerwasdelicious.Andwe kissed.
Somehow, it doesn’t feel awkward after. Just quiet. Warm. Like something shifted between us, and neither of us is ready to name it yet.
We end up on the floor, playing with Nugget, who seems determined to prove he’s the main character of the entire weekend.
He barks. He zooms. He drops a soggy stuffed moose in Maverick’s lap, then mine, then back again like we’re not playing fast enough.
I laugh until my stomach hurts.
Eventually, Maverick stands and stretches. “I’ll take him to his room. Then I’ll crash out here.”
“Okay,” I say, even though the word tastes like disappointment.
