Page 109 of Bend

I rub a hand over my jaw. “The truth is, none of it changed how I feel. I still want you. I still want him. And knowing they want you too doesn’t make it easier, but it doesn’t make me want you less either.”

Echo steps a little closer.

“It’s messy,” I say. “Complicated as fuck. Probably a terrible idea.”

“Life’s messy.”

“Yeah, well, mine’s turned into a right bloody soap opera.”

Her mouth curves.

I look at her for another second, then reach for her.

“And you?” I ask quietly. “You still want me?”

I hook a finger through the belt loop of her denim shorts and tug her into me until there’s barely any space left between us.

She pretends to think about it, eyes drifting over my face. “Hmm. I don’t know. Might need a minute.”

“Taking the piss, are we?”

Her grin gives her away. “Maybe.”

I pull her closer. “Careful, love.”

Her fingers slide up my chest, warm against my skin. “Yeah. I still want you.”

“Even with all the bollocks?”

“All of it.”

Her answer hits me low and hard.

I slide my fingers beneath her chin and tip her face toward mine, kissing her before I can think myself out of it. She meets me without hesitation, one hand locking around the back of my neck as she presses into me.

The kiss turns hungry almost immediately.

My grip tightens at her hip, pulling her closer while her mouth moves against mine like she’s got just as much to prove. It’s heat, teeth, and all the things we should’ve said sooner getting lost between us.

For a few seconds, I forget the beach. The team. Wolfe waiting down by the water.

Then Echo pulls back, breathing harder, her forehead resting against mine.

“Now go talk to Wolfe.”

A rough laugh leaves me. “You’re having a fucking laugh.”

“Nope.”

“You kiss me like that, then send me off to sort out my feelings?”

She steals one more quick kiss. “You needed a push.”

“You’re a menace.”

“And you’re still stalling.”

I glance toward the shoreline again.