Page 36 of It Happened Again

Heat. Hunger. Heart pounding. The kiss you don’t recover from. Ever.

When we broke apart, both of us breathless, I whispered, “Tell me to stop.”

Maisy shook her head. “Don’t you dare.”

I kissed her again, backing her slowly into the empty stall to the right of us. Her fingertips played along the brushed flannel neck of my shirt: I kept my smile to myself, running my brief experiment, proving soft textures were her thing. Starting tomorrow, I’d hire a stylist to refit my wardrobe to include any kind of luxuriously soft fabric they could find... all for the pleasure of Maisy’s fingertips.

“Brooks? Maisy? Are you in here?” Archer called into the stable. I heard Richard and Rex’s voices, too.

I sighed and kissed her forehead. “I should go.”

“I know.”

“This is just a minor interruption. We’ll pick this up again later.”

“Promise?” she fluttered her eyelashes at me.

I nodded, smoldering, and backed away from her, as she stood there touching fingers to her lips. We just took a huge leap of faith. This wasn’t over yet. Not by any measure.

13

HITTING THE HOPS

MAISY

Chelsea and Rex’sfarmhouse glowed with golden light, and inside it, I curled up on the couch with Sophie and Chelsea in their oversized living room. We shared a blanket, held mugs of spiked cider, and talked with the kind of brutal honesty that only sisters and best friends could get away with.

“Okay, but you have to tell us everything,” Sophie said, poking me with her elbow. “You and Brooks. Trail ride. Barn. Hay. Details. Go.”

Chelsea snorted into her mug. “Is this your science project now, Soph?”

“Nope. Just a girl who loves a good romance arc.”

I sank further into the couch and let out a breath, thinking about the kiss with Brooks in the barn.

It hadn’t been just heat and hay and the thrill of being alone with him, being in his arms. It had been more. Sweeter than it should have been. Deeper than I’d let myself admit in the moment.

His mouth on mine had felt like a promise I hadn’t dared to ask for.

And the worst part? I wanted more. So much more.

“It was... like we were back there, three years ago, kissing for the first time. My heart raced. If we hadn’t been interrupted, I’m not sure we could have stopped. But I should be focusing on my career, not getting muddled in a situation with Brooks Bellamy.”

“‘Muddled,’” Sophie repeated, grinning. “Interesting choice of words.”

I ignored her. “Every time we’ve tried before, something’s come between us. Timing, distance, London, my job, his work... now with my project at Orion. I can’t afford to lose my focus.”

Chelsea leaned forward. “Maisy, you’re not a college kid anymore. You’ve built a life in New York. You’re working at Orion. You’re doing all the things we used to sit on the counter at Flora’s Diner and dream about.”

Sophie nodded. “She’s right. You’re basically a hot scientist queen with an enviable brain and great cheekbones. The least the universe can give you is a happily ever after.”

I let out a laugh and shook my head. “And to think Chelsea told menotto get involved when I first met Brooks. Remember?”

Chelsea winced. “I didn’t want you to feel you had to choose between love and ambition.”

“But now?”

She shrugged. “Now you’ve got your feet under you. You’re here for good. You have a new career. And most of all, there’s something still burning between you and Brooks. Everyone in the same room as you two can see it. No matter what’s happened, those feelings between the two of you haven’t died out.Why not see where it goes?”

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