Page 61 of Meet Me in Tahiti

“I know. I wasn’t going to stay long if you didn’t show.”

His arms still held her tightly. “Of course, I’d show. You had me all worried.” He sounded as if he’d beenfrightened. “I didn’t want anything to happen to you out here.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” That was the last thing she’d meant to do.

He leaned back just enough to down look at her. “You look amazing tonight, by the way.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Thank you.”

“And I’m so sorry I forgot to wish you a happy birthday this morning. I’ve just been so… distracted. But it’s no excuse.”

She smiled and reached for his hands, and he let her take them.

“I know. And it’s okay. I figured it was something like that. But I’ve been worried,” she admitted. “You didn’t say much last night, and then on the hike today, we didn’t get a chance to talk and you were still distant with me. So, what’s going on? Is there something I should know?” She just wanted an honest answer.

He shook his head gently and linked his fingers with hers. “No, everything’s fine.” He wrinkled his mouth, and she could see he was frustrated. “I mean—nothing’s fine. Because you’re leaving tomorrow.” His brow tightened.

Her heart sank, although she felt the same way.

“But for right now, I just—Tess, we can’t act like we’re together out there, with all those people watching. Those captains out there—they work for my charter company. And all that crew… they know who I am. I wish we could. You know that, right? You have no idea how much I wish we could.” He squeezed her hands.

She nodded, her chest filling with a mix of warmthand sadness. “I know. But... it’s our last night. I don’t want to spend it watching you from across the sand, like we’re strangers.”

“I don’t want that either,” he said, his hands tightening around hers. “I just... I’m trying to do the right thing and be smart. We can hang out later tonight—on the boat.”

She searched his face, saw the weariness in it. The weight. The sadness.

He was losing faith in them, wasn’t he? She was leaving tomorrow, and he no longer thought this could work. She had to let him know how she felt before she lost him for good.

Russ studiedher in the slanted moonlight, taking in the way her hair framed her face, the earnest hope in her eyes, the vulnerability beneath her words. His heart clenched.

She was everything he wanted.

And he was going to lose her.

He ran his fingers through the locks of her long, dark hair as if it was the last time he’d be able to touch her.

He couldn’t promise her a timeline. Couldn’t say when—or even if—he’d make it back to the States. And women didn’t wait around for a man with no plan. They wanted stability. Certainty. He couldn’t offer her either of those things.

Yes, Walker had offered him a lifeline—but it mightbe a long shot. He’d take it, of course, but he couldn’t get ahead of himself again. That’s what had landed him here in the first place.

He had to tell her about the job he hadn’t gotten—the one she’d been counting on. She deserved to know—now. It was obvious to him, finally, that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow when she was leaving.

She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I care about you so much, Russ,” she whispered. “You’ve made me a better person. I feel more alive now than I have—in so long. You’ve done that for me.”

He swallowed hard, aware of the surrounding darkness, of the quiet, of the insects humming softly in the trees, as if nothing was different.

Her voice trembled, but her eyes were steady. “I’ve fallen for you. I want to see where this goes. You’ll be back in Florida in no time, and we’ll take it from there. You’ll see. We can do this.”

She reached up and kissed him. Softly. Just once.

And just like that, his will crumbled.

He kissed her back, his mouth claiming hers in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to do in over twenty-four-hours, which felt like a lifetime ago. He felt everything in that kiss—the ache, the longing, the joy of having her this close again. She’d said all the things he wanted to hear. She was promising him everything he needed—if he’d been able to promise her he’d be back in the States soon.

He felt her hands threading through his hair, her fingertips grazing his scalp in a gentle, shivering touchas he kissed her lips. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, the warmth of her skin radiating through his shirt. She was his again. All his. For now.

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