“Oh,”I whisper on a soft exhale.
He groans. “That sounds stupid.”
“Not at all. I’m magic,” I tease. “That’s what you’re saying.”
“Maybe we’re magic together.”
“It does feel that way, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.”
“Oh, Lucky,” I whisper against him. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, but we have to try.”
I unfold my wings to be able to get my hands around his back. He sighs against me when I do, and we melt into each other for a long moment. Then he kisses me softly on the neck.
“Sorry,” he whispers, smiling against my skin. “I couldn’t help it.”
“You couldn’t?”
“Nope.” He kisses my neck again, tickling me. “Oops. Sorry again.”
I laugh, shoulder reflexively jerking upward to push his face away from the crook of neck. Or trap him there. I’m not sure which. “Lucky Karras. I don’t believe you’re sorry at all.”
“Well … not about that.”
“Me neither.”
I pull back and smile up at him. Was he always this beautiful, when we were kids? The way he looks now, with the light gilding his skin, and his dark hair all mussed up and windblown. And the way he’s looking atmenow, like I’m the only thing standing for miles that matters … I don’t know.
Maybe it’s just the magic of golden hour.
“Hey, Josie?”
“What?”
“Can we agree to not talk about the ticking time bomb that is your grandmother returning from Nepal for the moment, until we figure some things out?”
“Most definitely,” I agree. “Let’s not.”
“And in the meantime, there’s one thing I want to do together.”
My pulse races. “What’s that?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. You’re just going to have to trust me. And meet me Saturday night. Same time, same place—after we both get off work. Deal?”
“I guess you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Oh, almost forgot.” I dig in my pants pocket until my fingers find the folded-up hundred and fifty dollars he left on the counter in the Nook.Myhundred and fifty dollars … along with another hundred and fifty that I added for our payment plan arrangement. I quickly stuff it all inside the front pocket of his jeans before he can stop me.
“Hey now—”
“This photography session is free.”
“Josie, Josie,Josie,” he says, sucking in a quick breath. “You can’t just go around sticking your hand down guys’ pockets like that without a warning.”
“Consider this a warning then. I might even do it again one day when my mom’s not watching us.”
