Page 100 of Hoax and Kisses
This is her life. This is her world. Those sky-high buildings and busy sidewalks crawling with people and plastics are to her what the cottages and cobblestone streets of Pine Falls are to me.
One day, this thing between us will come to an end. The lodge will be built, and Zoey will leave Pine Falls and find her way back here.
The thought settles into the pit of my stomach and makes me nauseous. Until now, I haven’t really considered the possibility of losing her.Actuallylosing her.
But now that I do, it petrifies me.
I was delusional to believe that in any world, this relationship could work long term. That we could date long-distance for a while. That she’d eventually realize she missed her life in Pine Falls too much and that Vancouver isn’t where she belongs.
This place isn’t right for her. But she doesn’t see it.
Since we arrived this morning, she’s been nothing but a tight bundle of nerves. Jumpy. Short. A permanent scowl on her face.
Why can’t she see what I see? She’smiserablehere.
None of this makes sense, and it’s partly my fault. I’ve been burying reality under layers of denial and delusion.
No matter how hard I try to protect my foolish heart, I always get swept up in my fantasies and give it away to people who are bound to break it.
I never learn.
“You have all you need for tonight?” I ask Daph as I slide my suit jacket on.
She’s sprawled on her hotel bed, already in PJs, a bowl of popcorn tucked under her arm. “Yep.”
“I’ll have my phone with me the whole night, okay? I’m just downstairs.”
A knock comes at the door, and on instinct, I peer over my shoulder.
“If you need anything,” I say as I move toward the door, “you call me, okay?”
Leaving her alone in the room, even if I’m only several floors down, makes me nervous. I have gone over my mental checklist ten times already, ensuring I haven’t forgotten anything (snacks, phone, PJs, heavy blanket), but still, anxiety swarms inside me like thousands of angry hornets. I don’t want a repeat of the movie night at the park.
“Yes, Matt,” she says, her tone laced with annoyance, her focus still locked on her favorite HGTV show.
With a roll of my eyes, I stride to the door. When I open it, my breath stops short.
“Ready?” Zoey asks, flashing me one of her most beautiful smiles, her lips painted a red I can only describe as sinful.
I take in her black dress. The strapless bodice clings to her skin, shaping her breasts into curves I know fit perfectly in my hands. The slit in the skirt shows off the length of one smooth leg, ending right where I’m dying to slip my fingers.
My throat tightens. I almost choke on my saliva at the sight. God, she’s making it very hard right now. Like…literally.
She’s fucking stunning. A creature from another world.
“You like it?” she says cheekily.
My gaze snaps to her face. “You’re fucking beautiful.”
She blushes hard. But as her focus drifts, she frowns. “You’re not wearing your bow tie?”
“I spent ten minutes wrestling with it before I surrendered.” I hold my palms up. “These hands are way too big for fancy stuff.”
Her lips part as she studies them. “Does that make me off-limits, then?”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “Absolutely not. You’re in a league of your own.”
“Well,” she rasps. “Let me help you.”
