She finally raises her eyes to meet mine, and there’s something in them I can’t quite read.
“Do you regret it?” I ask, rougher than I mean to be. “What happened between us?”
Her cheeks flush, but she holds my gaze. “No,” she says softly.
The knot in my chest loosens a little and then pings in surprise with what she says next.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing.” She takes a deep breath. “I freaked out and pushed you away when things got too intense. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Noia. And you don’t need to apologize.”
“That’s not true.” She pushes her plate aside and leans forward. “I’ve been thinking about this all night. I stayed up writing about everything—how you make me feel, what I’m afraid of...” She takes a deep breath in. “I’m done running and I’m gonna be fully open going forward. Whatever happens between us...” She slowly breathes out. “I want to experience it. All of it.”
I study her face, looking for any sign of hesitation. “Are you sure? Because I’m going to seriously take you out of your comfort zone.”
“Yes.” A small smile plays at her lips. “After last night, I realized it’s what I need to do. Whatweneed to do.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” she admits. “So after I wrote about how I felt, I wrote about everything that happened yesterday. And the more I wrote, the more I realized you were right. Ihavebeen using fiction as a shield. You’re not just words on a page anymore, Rye.” Her finger brushes against one of mine. “You’re here. You’re real. And I’m tired of being afraid of the unknown.”
I turn my hand over, palm up, and she slides her hand into mine, making my pulse ratchet into the stratosphere.
“So what now?” I ask.
She squeezes my hand. “Now we do what we agreed to do, continue to live out the story.”
A huge grin spreads across my face. “Does this mean you’ll stop freaking out every time I touch you?”
Her laughs melts something deep inside my chest. “All I can do is promise to try.”
“Good enough.” I pull her hand to my lips and kiss her wrist. “Finish your breakfast, kitten. You’re going to need your strength for what I have planned today.”
“Are you going to tell me this time, or is it another surprise?”
“A surprise.” I wink at her. “But I promise it’ll be worth it. I moved some appointments around, so we have all morning for the first half of the date. Then, after I get home from work, we’ll finish the night out with the second half.”
She grins and takes a bite of her omelet. “Sounds good.”
I take my empty plate to the sink, smiling as I rinse, hopeful that maybe, just maybe, we’re finally on the same page.
NINETEEN
noia
Bookish Babe Booksis super cozy. With creaky hardwood floors, mismatched armchairs, and shelves that tilt a little to the left. The air smells like fresh espresso, rain-soaked leaves from the open door, and old books that’ve been read too many times to count.
In fact, if bookstores were human, this one would wear vintage 80s ankle boots and drink a shit ton of whiskey.
Despite how much this place feels like home, I already feel off balance and overstimulated, and that was before Ryder crowded up behind me.
I shouldn’t have let him bring me here.
His Henley hugs his arms and clings to his chest, and I’m not even close to convinced it wasn’t sewn onto his body by some thirst trap witch. Wearing a snug pair of jeans, his smirk is dialed up to lethal.
“I’m regretting this already,” I mutter, flicking my eyes to the door.
“Too late, kitten.” His voice is low, cocky, and soaked in flirt as he rests his hand against my lower back. “We’re already here.And you promised to let me help you by bringing you to your natural habitat.”
