Page 163 of Liar's Point

“No one.” Kate rolled her eyes. “That’s the point.”

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Emmet awoke to the sound of clanging pans. He glanced at the clock, then grabbed his boxer briefs off the floor and walked into the kitchen, where he found Nicole at the stove making a grilled cheese. She wore his faded ACL Fest T-shirt that hit her midthigh.

She glanced up. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“Yeah.” He eased up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. She smelled like sex, and he nuzzled the back of her neck.

“I woke up starving and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to make a snack,” she said.

“I had cheese for that?”

“Provolone.” She flipped the sandwich, and the toasted side was perfectly golden brown. “American melts better but this is good, too.”

His stomach started to rumble. “You mind sharing?”

“Not at all.”

He got a couple glasses from the cabinet and filled them with water as she slid the sandwich onto a plate and cut it in half. Her hair was loose and messy around her shoulders, and the sight of her moving around his kitchen put a pang in his chest.

She glanced up. “What?”

He walked over and kissed her nose. “Nothing.”

“Really, what? You’re giving me a look.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“Right.”

“You are.”

She held out half of the sandwich. “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks.”

She set the plate beside her water glass, then hitched herself onto the counter.

Emmet took a big bite. The cheese was gooey and warm. “Damn, that’s good. Salty.”

“It’s the butter. I used a ton.”

He took a long sip of water, watching her over the rim as she ate. He liked that she felt comfortable enough in his home to get up and make a snack in the middle of the night. He wished she would settle in even more and leave some stuff here. Half his clothes were at her apartment, but she hadn’t left anything at his place besides a toothbrush.

He set his cup down and walked over, placing his palms on the counter on either side of her. She immediately tensed.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “You’re off this Sunday, right?”

“Yes,” she said warily.

“I am, too.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “Why don’t we spend the day together?”

She looked surprised. “I’d love to,” she said, setting her sandwich aside. “But I’m supposed to go to Port A to visit my grandmother.”

“Can I come?”

Her eyebrows arched. “To visit my grandmother?”

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