Page 106 of Hoax and Kisses
When we break apart, her expression is raw. Yeah, she felt it too. That invisible pull between us is more palpable than ever. That evident truth that I’ve fought back until now is too strong to be ignored any longer.
I stuff her underwear into my pocket again and survey the slit in her dress. “Are you… are you gonna go back out there like that?” I clear my throat. “I mean… without anything underneath?”
She gives me a grin that screams trouble. “Don’t stare at my ass too much, and we should be fine.”
“That’s a promise I definitely cannot keep.”
Chuckling, she brushes her hair back into place and smooths her dress. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful. Like you just had the most earth-shattering orgasm.”
She rolls her eyes and swats my chest. “Shut up.” She tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, then adjusts my bow tie.
“How do I look?” I whisper.
“Like you’ve just had the best orgasm of your whole life.”
She opens the door, and I follow her out, biting back a laugh.
Yeah. I really did.
Chapter Twenty-Three
ZOEY
“Is this punishment for last weekend?”
Ahead of us, Carl leads the way through the woods, ten third-graders following behind him.
“I take you to the city for two days, and you pay me back with mud and plenty of roots to trip over?”
Matt peers over at me, a smile tugging on his lips. “I like how reasonable you’re being about this beginner-friendly, two-hour hike only thirty minutes outside of Pine Falls with a bunch of eight-year-olds.”
I hide my amusement in my turtleneck. The truth is, being back here feels right. Vancouver was almost… suffocating. We were gone just over forty-eight hours, and yet when we drove past the Pine Falls welcome sign, relief flooded my system.
I’d completely forgotten that Matt was set to replace Oliver on Carl’s monthly hike with the Year threes of Pine Falls School, but when he asked me if I still wanted to tag along, I didn’t even hesitate.
Which, first, weird, because hiking and I aren’t the best of friends. More like we’re total strangers. I’ve never hiked a day in my life, nor did I own hiking boots until Matt left a cute purple pair on my porch yesterday, along with a bouquet of wildflowers. And second, I’ve actually been looking forward to today, to being with the kids and Matt while he showed me more about the place he loves so much.
“Jury’s still out on the two-hour thing.” I jump over a big root running across the path. “My dad used to trick me with phony estimated times when I was younger. ‘It won’t be more than thirty minutes, princess,’” I say in a deep voice. “Yeah, sure. Then four hours later, I’d still be spinning in a conference chair with my legs and arms dangling.”
He laughs softly. “I promise you, Zoé, we’ll make it back to the bus in about…” He checks his watch. “An hour and thirty minutes. You’ll see. And the view up there will be worth it.”
Catching my wrist, he pulls me to him and presses his lips to mine. It’s soft, and far too quick. I try to hold him against me a bit longer, but then the kids start to make noises around us.
“Ew.”
“Kissing issogross.”
“Later,” Matt whispers the promise, then turns to the kids. “Get moving, you noisy little monsters.”
We resume our walk, Matt never leaving more than a few inches of space between us. He makes it so easy to lose my bearings. To forget that I have responsibilities and a job to do. Every time he comes near me, my body becomes hyperaware of his presence, vibrating with anticipation. Will he touch me? In what way? Kiss me? Hold me close enough for me to feel just how much he’d like me closer? Will he be as desperate as he was in that hotel bathroom, begging me for his own release?
God, it was so hot I almost came a second time at the sound of his plea and a third at the taste of him on my tongue.
Ever since that night, I’ve been longing for a chance to be alone with him, but his schedule hasn’t made it easy. When he’s not working at the store, he’s looking after his sister, which leaves little room for stolen moments together.
And tomorrow, the people of Pine Falls will vote on my proposal. My stomach twists into a knot. Every hour brings me closer to leaving this town and stepping into my legacy, like a ticking time bomb counting down to its final second.
