His gaze flickers between my eyes and my lips, like he’s not sure whereto look. “Why?”
“I wanted to,” I say.
“I don’t think ... this is a good idea.”
Slowly, my heart sinks.
“Does it have to be a good idea? The cruise wasn’t, and look at where we are.”
I wait patiently. If he pushes me away, I’ll accept it. I won’t be mad, and I’ll put in the work to accept just being friends. Both of us will.
“Maisie, I . . .”
Tilting my head, I let him have as much time as he needs. My heart pounds in my chest, but I try to be still.
He watches it all as he tries to work out what to say. I can imagine him trying to figure out how to let me down gently.
His next words arenotthat.
“Fuck it.”
His arms tighten before he kisses me again. His lips move against mine, almost making up for lost time.
All sounds fall away around me, and relief hits me like a truck. All the worry vanishes and I wrap my arms around his neck, releasing a breath through my nose.
I’ve not kissed that many men, but I usually get tired of it. I’d do the usual hello and goodbye kiss, and nothing more, if I could avoid it.
This isn’t like that. I have Nate closer than he’s ever been and I don’t want to let go. Ineedto learn how he moves, what makes him tick. I’m torn between rushing things and taking it slow so I can savor every moment.
I land somewhere in the middle. The kiss stays chaste for a moment before I swipe my tongue across his bottom lip. Nate groans, but opens up immediately, and suddenly we’re making out like two teenagers hiding in a movie theater.
God, we should’ve been doing this then. We should have been doing this foryears.
I pull away, out of breath, but desperate for more.
“So ...” I laugh awkwardly. “Wanna go back to the room?”
“A-and what are we doing back in the room?”
Images flash through my mind, ones that feel like a dream come true. There’s not much Iwouldn’tdo with the man in front of me.
“Whatever we want to.” My voice is breathless as I wait for him to agree.
When he swallows and nods, I feel like I’ve won the lottery.
chapter twenty-five
I jumphim the second we’re through the door.
Walking back to the room like nothing had happened was sheer torture, and I’ve discovered I am done wasting time when it comes to him.
“Whoa, hey—” he says right as I press my lips to his. “Berry, let me shut the door.”
Both of us reach for it, but he gets tired of me trying to help, so he pins me against the wall. “Hang on,” he says. “God, you’re impatient.”
“It took forever to get up here.”
The door finally latches. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to turn into a monster.”
