Page 93 of Liar's Point

She stopped in the hallway. “Kate said she’d pick up my car tomorrow.”

“I can do it.”

“You’ve done enough.” She glanced at the living room and then at her bedroom down the hallway.

“I got your room ready,” he said.

“You did?” She crutched the short distance and stopped in the doorway. The comforter was pulled back and a big throw pillow was positioned at the foot of the bed. The TV on the dresser was on, and a rerun of Friends played on mute.

Her heart made a weird little hiccup.

“Thanks,” she said.

She moved over to the bed, and he put his arm around her waist to steady her as she handed him the crutches. She sat down and slowly lifted her leg to rest it on the pillow.

“Too high?” he asked.

“No.”

She eased back against the stack of pillows.

“You’ve got your meds here and some ice water. When’s your next pill?”

It took her a moment to think. “Four a.m. I need to set an alarm.”

He took her phone from his pocket and set it beside the water glass. Once again, he was one step ahead of her sluggish brain.

“Thank you.”

He gazed down at her, and there was that concerned look again, the one from the hospital. It put an ache in the pit of her stomach.

She shifted her foot and flinched as pain reverberated up her leg.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just—” She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “Fine.”

“You should rest.” He stepped back, and the ache intensified. “We can talk more about everything tomorrow.”

She gazed up at him, heart thudding. He picked up her hand and squeezed it, and a pang of yearning went through her.

“Call me if you need anything,” he said.

“I will.”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

She reached up, resting her hand against his face.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He gazed down at her, not moving. She shifted her thumb, stroking the stubble along his jaw. Heat flared in his eyes as the back-and-forth motion of her thumb set off sparks.

“Nicole—”

She reached up and kissed him, settling her mouth against his. His lips were warm and firm, and she licked against them. He made a sound deep in his chest and took control of the kiss, easing her back against the pillow as he leaned over her.

She was kissing Emmet. Emmet. She’d thought of this hundreds of times. Thousands, probably. But the reality was more intoxicating than she’d ever imagined. His fingers combed into her hair as his tongue moved against hers, exploring her mouth. The taste of him was new but somehow familiar, like the smell of him that she loved so much, and she pulled him closer, wanting more of it as she moaned against his mouth.

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