There’s a few beats of silence, then I pull her untouched bowl towards us and divvy up the melon slices onto both our plates. “Nicely done,” I murmur approvingly. Briar looks down, a wide smile spreading across her face.
When we step back out onto the sunny street, our stomachs full to bursting, the photographers are ready and waiting. Before I’ve even shut the café door, they start snapping away, coming to our left side to get a good shot of Briar’s stitched-up cheek. I tighten my grip on her, trying to block the lenses as I hurry her along, but she digs in her heels.
“No,” she says. I watch as she catches Roger’s eye and points to a spot on her other side. I’m not sure what she’s doing, but now isn’t the time.
“Come on,” I scowl at the clamouring photographers. “Christ, they’re all bloody vultures.” I pull her gently away, trying to ignore the sweet scent of her shampoo as her hair tickles my face. This is probably the last time I’ll ever be this close to her.
She tugs at my arm. “Stop. Kenta,stop.”
I still, and she reaches up to cup my cheek, turning me to face her.
I frown. “Briar, what—”
Before I can protest, she goes up on her tiptoes and brushes her lips against mine. My heart practically stops in my chest.
This isn’t like any of our other kisses. It’s soft and sweet and gentle, so quick I barely feel it. When she pulls away, I stare at her, breathing hard. The paps are shouting and running around us, trying to get a better angle, but I ignore them. My hand unconsciously clenches on Briar’s waist, like I’m trying to keep her close to me. “What… was that for, sweetheart?”
She shrugs. “I just remembered. I’ve only been photographed kissing Glen and Matt. I don’t want the magazines to get the wrong impression and think I’m only in love with two of you.”
I’m not even walking, but I still almost trip over my own feet. “Inlove?” I manage eventually.
“Madly, I’m afraid,” she says, tilting her head. “Are you going to pass out?”
I stammer. “But… Matt and Glen…”
She sighs dramatically. “I guessGossmagazine was right all along. I’m a massive hoe-bag. But I don’t just whore out my body, I whore out myheart.” She shakes her head sorrowfully. “It’s embarrassing. I spend so long keeping men at a distance, then three of you seduce me at once. It’s kind of ruining my ice-queen reputation.” I don’t say anything. I don’t think I can. I think I’ve temporarily forgotten English.
She sighs, stroking my cheek. “Kenta. You are one of the smartest, kindest, most loving men I’ve ever met. No one has ever believed in me like you do.” She steps even closer, so our bodies are pressed together. I vaguely register a wolf-whistle from one of the paps, but it sounds like it comes from a thousand miles away. “You’restunning,” she continues, “and gentle. Empathic. Intelligent. You care about other people. How the Hell could I not fall for you?”
My voice gets stuck in my throat. “I love you, too,” I choke out. She smiles, big and bright and beautiful, and I can’t help myself. I wrap a hand around the back of her neck and bring her lips to mine.
It’s the kind of kiss that ends a movie. Everything else fades away. Our tongues dance together slowly as we hold each other under the baking-hot LA sunshine. Briar hums underneath me, shivering as I trace my hand down the small of her back, pressing her closer. I can taste strawberry chapstick and orange juice on her soft lips.
Seconds, or minutes, or hours later, we pull apart slightly, shifting to a series of long, open-mouthed pecks. Our foreheads rest together as we breathe each other’s air.
“Mmm,” Briar hums under her breath, slowly licking my bottom lip. “I could kiss you forever.”
My fingers curl into the soft fabric of her dress. I nuzzle down the side of her neck. Around us, cameras flash and shutters click. “We can kiss for as long as you want back in the hotel room,” I murmur. “But we should get going.”
She frowns slightly. “Why? I don’t care about the paps.”
“I know.” I give her another lingering kiss, then finally straighten, pushing a strand of wavy hair behind her ear. “And I also know Matt. I know that as soon as he wakes up and sees you’re gone, he’s going to freak out. He’s probably climbing the walls by now.”
She sighs happily, leaning against my front. “I’m so excited to have you love me.”
I laugh. It’s such an odd thing to say. “What?”
“You’re so wonderful to people you love,” she says, catching my hand. “You’re the best. Okay. Let’s go.”
Fifty-Five
Matt
?
When I wake up, I hold myself still for a few seconds, tuning into my surroundings. It’s a habit I got into when I was serving. Stopped me rolling over and groaning awake when we were in the middle of a stealth mission.
I’m lying in an unfamiliar room, under a heavy pile of quilts. My muscles are tight and sore, my throat is burning, and my head hurts like a bitch. As I try to piece all of this information together, memories from last night wash over me.
