“You sound crazy.”
“I feel a little crazy, if I’m being perfectly honest.” She trains her attention on the inky ocean in front of us, listening to the waves crashing on the dark beach below. “I don’t want to give this up, but I feel the end drawing near.”
“That’s ominous.”
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
I gaze down at her, noting the familiar slope of her nose and shape of her lips. Yes, I feel the buzz between us like we’re plugged directly into an electrical outlet. Yes, I sense the dissolution of our newfound friendship like a cup of sugar dissolving in a pitcher of lemonade. There’s nothing I can do to slow it. I want to stretch these moments into a lifetime together. It feels like we’re in a ticking time bomb that will absolutely explode at some point and definitely has an expiration date.
“Yes,” I finally say.
It’s all she needs. Bree reaches up and pulls my neck down until our lips meet, crashing together in a craze of thunderous passion. Heat pools through my body as her hand tightens on my neck, her mouth moving over mine. Everything else goes quiet—the waves on the beach, the birds squawking on the sand, the party down the shore—all reduced to a quiet hum.
I don’t need any nudge to participate. I was all on board from the moment she showed up on my porch two weeks ago. My arms draw tightly around her, pulling her onto my lap so I can deepen the kiss. Nothing prepares me for the feeling of this more mature Bree, soft and sure and confident, but still familiar and sweet. Emotions pelt me from every direction. I find us moving like the winding beachy roads, quick, then slow—unsure, searching, then steady again. We cycle through eachemotion until we arrive back at the beginning with long, deep, kisses.
She pulls back long enough to look in my eyes. “This is a bad idea.”
I can’t speak. My chest heaves.
“Also, it’s a good one,” she says.
“Yes,” is all I can say. “One more, then I’ll get you home.”
Bree cups my face, then leans in and kisses me again, long and slow, infusing me with magic and affection. Strength flows through me, like I’m ready to conquer the world. I would do anything for her. I would strike a match and watch her problems burn.
Once I break away to breathe, I can’t find words adequate enough to tell her what I’m feeling, how badly I want her to find a way to stay.
She can’t stay, not without bringing the entire world to my doorstep, and I can’t live like that again. I refuse to. Which only means one thing: we can’t be together. It’s not possible.
“Why are you scowling?” she asks.
I smooth out my expression. “I don’t want this to end, but it needs to. I’m a gentleman now, Bree. It’s time to get you home.”
She laughs, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she climbs off my lap and lets me take her hand to lead her down the dune in the dark. Neither of us speaks while we walk to the car. When we reach the truck, I unlock it and open her door as voices from the other side of the parking lot gain volume.
Then we’re attacked with a barrage of flashing lights.
“What the?—”
Bree ducks her head, covering her face while I slam her door and run around to the other side. I start the truck and peel out of the spot as the lights get closer, driving out of the parking lot before they can reach us.
“Ugh!” she groans. “Do you think they go any good shots?”
“We’ll know soon enough.” My jaw tenses, clenching andunclenching, while I drive out of the one-lane road and onto the highway to get to my neighborhood. Should I go a long way around? Try to lose them?
What would be the point in that? My house isn’t public record, but anyone in town can tell them where I live.
I swear, pulling onto my street much faster than I really should be driving. My adrenaline is up, and I can’t breathe normally.
“There’s more on my porch,” I mutter, noting the women standing there, knocking at the door.
Bree sits up, scooting over to look as I slow, wondering if I should keep driving or not. “Those aren’t paps,” she says, narrowing her eyes, then looking at me. “Those are my sisters.”
22
BREE
If Zoeyand Olive brought the paparazzi to Bodega Bay, I’m going to lose my mind. Benny helped carry their bags over to Colby’s house, then slipped away, his blue eyes pinning me in place for a beat too long and filling me with heat. The moment he closes the door, my sisters turn on me.