“Who did you think I was?”
Lily touched her cool nose to his. “The most attractive, cocky douchebag I’d ever met.”
His white teeth flashed in a grin. “Nah, I think you hit the nail on the head.”
She rolled her eyes and flicked his bare chest. “What about me?”
“A mix of things.” His hands settled at her waist, and the warmth of his touch seeped through her thin cover-up. “When I watched those videos with Neal, I thought you were hot but probably shallow and vapid.”
“Ouch.”
He continued, undeterred. “And when I met you that firstday, I knew if Neal hired you, I’d be done for. You were fucking gorgeous.”
“When did things change?”
He shrugged. “Our membership increased, and I realized I was wrong about you. You’re very capable.”
Her heart thrilled at the compliment. She skimmed one hand down his neck, tracing the golden pendant he always wore outside the gym. “And do you still think I’m vapid?”
His arms locked behind her back, urging her closer. “I think you could take over the world, Lily.”
For once, she was grateful for the vast night. Maybe he wouldn’t see her smile falter or her shoulders tuck in. Take over the world? It had taken everything in her to stand up to him when he was rude that first day. More often, in the quiet of the night, alone in her shitty apartment, all she had to keep her going was the belief her future would be better than her past.
But right now? The present? It was uncertain. An in-between. One fuckup away from losing everything she’d worked so hard for.
“I wish I could have met you five years from now.”
Kieran’s trace of her spine stuttered only for a moment, then continued, stroking from the nape of her neck to the small of her back. “Why’s that?”
Wasn’t it obvious? Eleven months out from an abusive relationship. Less than a year in therapy. Cruddy apartment. Low-paying job.
In five years, she’d be more confident. Have a great career and a proper home. No timidness shrouding her. The love of life she displayed on-screen would be real, not an act.
“I’d be a better match for you.”
His brows furrowed—her sight was adjusting to the lack oflight now—and he tilted his head in question. “I don’t think that’s true.”
Lily swallowed, the words thick in her throat. Two weeks ago, he’d asked if she was afraid of him, and yes, she was, but not in the way he thought. Afraid to fall for him. Afraid to need him more than he needed her. Too scared of the embarrassment and inevitable rejection if she admitted how much she wanted him. Because Kieran kept his life contained. The gym was his life, and of course there was his family. His friendships. His reputation and his ambition he’d surely pursue again once Danny came of age.
There wasn’t room in that perfect puzzle for a broken piece.
A whistle tore through the sky, whipping her attention heavenward. Brilliant starbursts of violet and red broke against the night.
Thank God.
Lily rolled off of Kieran’s lap and grabbed her phone, quickly adjusting her settings for a night-capture video. She sat up and scooted forward, carefully maintaining her balance. Moving slowly and holding her phone steady, she did a sweeping shot first of her feet dangling over the lake, then of the waves painted with light, and finally the sky as fireworks exploded in beautiful bursts of color. Some were shaped as stars, others as kaleidoscopes. Some lingered and hung in the air; others sizzled out just as quickly as they appeared.
One strong arm wrapped around her shoulders. Kieran’s phone, the front camera on and illuminating them, appeared before her. “How about one of us?” He nuzzled her cheek with his and kissed her behind her ear. “I like you exactly as you are,” he whispered. “Right here. Right now.”
A rush of warmth spread through her chest. Lily tilted her head back, catching Kieran’s lips in a kiss. This one wasn’t a moment anyone would see. Kieran didn’t do social media. Ifhe kept the video, it would be for himself. Would he keep it after whatever was going on between them was through? Watch it over and over, remembering the way their bodies fit together like the waves met the sand?
“Come on, no more phones.” He darkened his screen and took hers, doing the same before gently laying them on the dock. He guided her away from the edge, sitting cross-legged so their knees touched. He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “Tell me what’s in your head.” His voice was soft and low, pitched somewhere between a plea and worship.
Fireworks broke overhead, reverberating through them and bathing him in streams of emerald and gold. His dark eyes mirrored the night sky, reflecting the light like pools of fire.
He was like a god.
“I just want you.” Today. Tomorrow. In all the ways she couldn’t bear to admit. In ways he’d never give himself.
