Page 45 of For My Finale
Lilah startled awake, the sound of something shifting outside pulling her from a restless sleep. The couch cushions pressed uncomfortably into her back. How had she fallen asleep here? She must have drifted off.
She sat up, blinking sleep from her eyes. Then there was another sound, rustling, heavy. Definitely not the wind.
Lilah swallowed, glancing around the darkened cottage. It was probably a fox, right? Or one of those one-eyed badgers? But as she sat there, heart thudding in her chest, the possibilities started multiplying in her mind. Burglars, deranged fans, she’d had her share of stalkers, the press. Christ, the last thing she needed was some journalist hiding in the bushes, waiting for her to stumble out looking like she’d partied way too hard, way too long.
And yet, despite every logical thought screaming at her to stay inside, she found that she was standing up, that her feet were moving toward the back door before she could stop them. Lilah Paxton was no coward. She gritted her teeth and opened the door.
It was a cool night, the scent of rain was in the air, and Lilah hugged her arms around herself. Silence stretched out in all directions. The kind of silence that only really happened in the country, deep and endless.
She was just about to convince herself that she was imagining things when something in the air shifted. Something closer thistime.
Lilah’s breath caught in her throat. Her stomach clenched. Fear began creeping up her spine, immobilizing her legs, making goosebumps stand taut on her skin.
A light flickered on, bright and blinding, and she flinched.
“What are you doing out here?”
Lilah blinked against the glare, squinting to see Blossom standing by her own back door holding a flashlight, her expression somewhere between irritation and amusement.
“I—” Lilah began. Then she stopped herself. Saying, ‘I thought I was about to be murdered so I came outside to see’ didn’t seem like the best way of saving face. “I, um, heard noises.”
Blossom arched an eyebrow and the tiny movement made Lilah’s pulse start to race. “So you came out here? Alone?”
“So did you,” Lilah said, starting to register the fact that Blossom was in pajamas. Scanty ones at that.
“I’ve got a torch,” Blossom pointed out.
Before Lilah could reply to this, something moved. And then something warm and wet brushed against the back of her neck. There was a heavy exhale, hot breath against her skin. She froze. Every horror movie she’d ever watched flooded back to her in vivid, terrifying detail. All rational thought vanished and pure instinct took over. She opened her mouth and screamed.
She spun around, arms flailing, ready to scratch and fight and run. Only to come face to face with a broad, curious snout, and a pair of bright eyes.
“Billy!” Blossom said. “What are you doing out at this time of night? Did George forget to lock the gate again?” She looked over at Lilah. “You sounded like you were going to be murdered,” she said casually.
“I’d like to see how you’d react to a giant beast breathing down your neck,” said Lilah, whose pulse was still pounding in her ears.
Billy huffed and swished his tail and Blossom patted his haunches. “Come on Bill, back we go.” She grinned at Lilah. “This whole country life thing is going great for you, huh?”
“I resent that,” Lilah muttered, as Blossom took Billy by the halter and began leading him away.
She was still watching as Blossom let Billy out, and turned back again. Watching the way she moved, watching the shape of her body, the length of her legs, the curve of her waist. Watching and breathing and… thinking about sheep. Which wasn’t exactly what she wanted to be thinking about, but there was something there.
Something about wanting and taking. Something about not overthinking or second-guessing. Something that made her take a step out of her way, made her grasp Blossom’s wrist just as she walked by, made her pull her in.
For a millisecond, there was only the surprise in Blossom’s wide eyes. That and the panic in Lilah’s stomach as she pulled Blossom even closer, as she tilted her head, as she brushed her lips against Blossom’s.
The world stilled. The night, the cool air, the distant sound of Billy rustling in the grass, it all faded away as their lips met.
And then Lilah wasn’t thinking. For the first time in a long, long time, she was just feeling.
Chapter Nineteen
The moment that Lilah pulled away, Blossom felt the absence like a gust of cool air rushing between them. Her lips were tingling, her heart was pounding in her chest, but Lilah was already rubbing her face, exhaling.
“Sorry,” Lilah muttered. “I was acting like a sheep.”
Blossom thought about this for a second. “Um, acting like a sheep?” she asked cautiously. “Not exactly what I thought you were going to say.”
Lilah groaned. “Yes. Sheep. Instinct. Doing what I wanted in the moment. That’s what George said.”
