The warmth of her mouth. The faint tremble in her hands. The way she melts into me like she’s been waiting for permission to rest.
She tastes like peppermint and nerves.
I deepen the kiss without thinking, still careful, still slow, but no longer pretending this is theoretical. She exhales against my mouth, a sound so quiet and undone it almost hurts to hear.
When she pulls back, it’s just enough to breathe.
Her eyes are wide. Bright. Unhidden.
“That—” she whispers, swallowing. “That definitely broke the clause.”
A laugh rumbles out of me before I can stop it. Low. Rough.
“Yeah,” I say. “Pretty sure.”
Her hands don’t let go of my shirt.
“Do you think,” she asks, voice barely steady, “we’ll be in trouble?”
“Possibly.”
Silence settles between us. Charged. Crackling. Alive.
Then her chin lifts. Just a little. Brave. Terrified. Beautiful.
“Do you want to do it again?”
I don’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
I kiss her again. Deeper this time. Fuller. A kiss that admits everything we haven’t said yet. That I want this. That I want her. That I’m already in more trouble than any contract can cover.
The door opens just enough for Manny’s head to appear.
His eyes flick between us, sharp and assessing.
“Give us one minute,” I say.
“You've got about thirty seconds.”
The door closes.
I bring Lila close again, more carefully this time.
Her hands are still fisted in my shirt. She seems to realize it at the same time I do. Her fingers loosen, then hover awkwardly between us like she’s not sure where they’re allowed to land.
“Sorry,” she murmurs.
“Don’t be,” I say.
We stand there for a beat, breathing the same air, neither of us moving.
The door opens again.
I turn, “She’s fine,” I say automatically. “She’s with me. I’m just kissing my wife.”
But it's not only Manny in the doorway.
