The question caught me off guard, but I recovered quickly, letting a smile tug at my lips because if I couldn't tell her how I really felt, at least I could show her I wasn't going anywhere.
"Because you'll never be able to get rid of me again," I said, only half-joking. "I learned my lesson the first time. Walking away from you was the biggest mistake of my life. So this time, I'm staying. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to be the most helpful, most supportive, most annoyingly present person in your life."
"That sounds like a threat," she said, but I could hear the amusement creeping into her voice now.
"It's a promise."
She looked at me, and I could swear she was doing it with desire.
"Do you want to be helpful right now, Kyle?" She askedme, with a seductive voice that didn't help my already inappropriate thoughts.
"For you? Always," I said, my heart rate picking up at the way she was looking at me.
She reached up and slid her arms around my neck, and for one heart-stopping moment, I thought she might kiss me. My entire body went still, every nerve ending focused on the points where we were touching.
Instead, she began running her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck, and I couldn't stop the groan that escaped my throat or the way my eyes automatically closed at the sensation.
God, I'd missed this. Missed her touch, missed being close to her like this, missed the way she knew exactly how to unravel me with the simplest gesture.
My hands found her waist seemingly of their own accord, pulling her closer until there was barely any space between us. I could feel the warmth of her body, smell the faint scent of her shampoo, and feel her breath ghosting across my lips. "Tell me what you need, Lily," I whispered, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. "Right now, I could do anything for you."
And I meant it. I would have done anything, climbed mountains, moved oceans, burned down the entire world if that's what she needed. "Not you," she said, but there was a teasing lilt to her voice that should have warned me.
But I was too far gone, too caught up in having her this close again. "I can be a good distraction," I offered, leaning closer until our lips were almost touching. "I can make you forget about everything that's stressing you out."
She also brought her face so close to mine that I could feel her lips moving when she spoke. My heart was hammering in my chest, and every instinct was screaming at me to close thedistance, to kiss her the way I'd been wanting to since the moment we'd been sent back.
“In that case, I want you," she whispered.
My breath caught. Time seemed to stop.
"...to go outside and take care of Florence Reynolds."
For a second, my brain didn't process what she'd said. Then it hit me, and I couldn't help but laugh even as she pulled away and walked to the couch with a satisfied smirk. She'd played me. Completely and thoroughly played me. And the worst part? I was happy about it.
Seeing her smile, seeing that spark of mischief in her eyes instead of the panic and fear from before, was worth any amount of embarrassment or frustration. I'd missed this version of her. The one who felt safe enough to tease me, to push my buttons, to let herself be playful instead of guarded.
"Florence?" I asked, still trying to recover from the emotional whiplash. "Our teacher, Florence?"
"She's my patient today," Lily said, settling back onto the couch with a look of supreme satisfaction. "But I can't deal with her right now. So you're going to do it for me."
That woman gave me the creeps, but I couldn't miss this opportunity to show Lily I could be useful, that she could count on me for things big and small.
"And what do I get in return?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"The satisfaction of helping me."
"And a date," I countered immediately. "On Saturday."
"No."
"Then I'll go tell the nurse coordinator where you've been hiding." I crossed my arms, trying to look stern even though we both knew I'd never actually follow through. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to find you locked in here insteadof working."
"Why are you looking for excuses to spend more time with me?" she asked.
Because I'm falling for you all over again. Because every moment I spend with you makes me remember why I loved you in the first place. Because I'm terrified that if I don't take every opportunity I can get, we'll run out of time and I'll lose you again.
"Because as long as we're in this situation, I want to spend as much time with you as possible, I don't need an excuse to be with you, but I'd give you a million reasons if it meant you'd say yes," I actually said.
