“Sorry. You’re right.”
Kiela kissed him and forgot what she was going to say back. Something about how she wasn’t really alone since she had Caz. Something about how she didn’t want to be alone. Something about her parents or his parents or Radane or . . . “I like books too much.”
He paused mid-kiss. “What?”
“You don’t know me. So I’m telling you about me. So you’ll know me and why it’s better if I leave. I read and I forget anything else exists. And I don’t forgive anyone who isn’t careful with books. I hate people who tear out pages, who bend corners, who break the spines.”
“Unforgivable,” he agreed.
She pulled back and frowned at him. “Are you laughing at me?”
“Yes. These aren’t flaws. They’re just . . . you. And I like you. Very much.”
She couldn’t help but ask, “You do?”
He nodded. “As much as Sian likes tomatoes.”
Kiela laughed and kissed him again and again, as the waves kissed their bare feet and the sea breeze danced around them and the sun shone down—and it all felt so eternal and so ephemeral at the same time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As much as Kiela wanted to endlessly kiss Larran, it simply wasn’t practical. She had books and plants to protect. She cradled his cheek with her hand. “Larran . . .”
He kissed her palm.
Thinking about how to say goodbye, she felt as if someone had reached into her rib cage and yanked out all the squishy bits.I don’t want to leave.She wished she could say she didn’t have to, that it would all be okay, and that there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn’t. Instead, she said, “There are more tomatoes about to ripen on the vine, if you want them.”
He leaned his forehead against hers softly. “Don’t leave.”
“I have to check on Caz.”
“I’ll go with you.”
She wanted that, but she shook her head. “It’ll draw too much attention. Do you ever leave your herd this time of day?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Will you come back?”
She didn’t know. “I’ll try.”
“Did you eat lunch? You should make sure you eat. And stay hydrated. Do you want some water before you go? Or tea? I can make tea. And sandwiches.”
Kiela laughed, even though she felt like crying. She gently shoved him toward the water. “Feed your merhorses. They need you.”
He turned back toward her. “I need you.”
“You don’t need me, and frankly I’d be a little uncomfortable if you did. We just met. You like me for unfathomable reasons.”
Larran smiled. “Fine. But I like you a lot.”
She blushed. “I like you too.”
Kiela forced herself to cross the beach to the stairs. Glancing back, she saw Larran wading into the water—a half-dozen merhorses bobbed in the waves just off shore.He likes me a lot.
She climbed the stairs and walked through the greenery. She was no closer to a solution to her problems, but a piece of her still felt like singing. She didn’t, though. Obviously. Even as deliriously distracted as she felt, she was aware of the need for caution. She settled for humming softly as she reached her cottage and then strolled beyond it—just a casual walk in the woods for an ordinary shopkeeper or a jam-maker in need of ingredients.
Only when she was as certain as she could be that no one was following her did she make her way back to the cave with the painted flowers.
“Caz,” she whispered as she slipped in between the rocks.
