Page 30 of Midnight Waters

I didn’t think. Not fast enough to stop myself, anyway.

If I dove toward him any faster, I might have head-butted him. Despite my speed, our lips only brushed together, but that was enough to send the hairs prickling up the back of my neck.

William’s fingers stroked up my neck to my face, and my cheek blossomed with heat. Every nerve in my body lit up like a Yule tree, urging me to sink deeper.

My back arched, without my say so, and our lips pressed together. I ran my hands up his chest, my limbs taking advantage of my bewildered mind to do as they pleased.

Passion exploded in my core, but the masks made deepening the kiss difficult, scraping together if we got too close.

My fingers slipped over the top button of his shirt, and it was all I could do to fight the urge to undo it.

His heart hammered beneath my palm, and my guard fell away completely. I wanted to let this escalate way past the suggested kiss.

A knock at the door had us both pulling away.

His eyes were wide, and mischief touched his lips. Apparently, I hadn’t been alone in my desires.

I reluctantly looked toward the door, around which Mervyn poked his head.

“Your date has concluded,” he said. “We hope you enjoyed your time together. If the lady could please follow me?”

I stood, still on autopilot, and hurried to the door. But remembering at the last minute what had just happened, I paused at the door. Still wide-eyed and clasping the edges of the sofa with both hands, William’s look asked for clarification.

I smiled, hoping it was enough to assure him I’d be back. He smiled back.

We agreed, then.

I followed the attendant out the door, my entire body buzzing. What had I just done and why did I have zero shame about it?

Dad observed my unusual cheeriness and positivity all morning, but it wasn’t until we were in the car on the way to the autopsy results at the police station that he dared ask anything.

“Good night last night?” he asked, holding on to the passenger side grab handle as I drove us out the gates of the Arrowood mansion.

“Maybe,” I said.

I didn’t know how much of this I wanted to divulge to him, given his fruitless boundary setting last night.

“You’ve been on cloud nine all day. Where did you go last night? Did you meet someone?”

I scrunched up my lips. I didn’t want to tell Dad what we had done last night, but he wouldn’t stop asking until I gave him something.

“Kira and Allison talked me into going to that new dating agency in town,” I said. “The one where you don’t know who each other is for three dates.”

The night before, we had met up outside after our dates finished and spilled the beans about our evenings. Thanks to the traffic light style list, Kira hadn’t made as much progress as she would have liked. Allison, on the other hand, had enjoyed a nice gentle talk with her man, and could barely wait for a second date.

“Dating agency?” Dad snorted. “Since when do you need help getting dates?”

On an island where I had known most of the population my whole life? Constantly.

“That’s not what it’s about.” I fed the steering wheel through my hands instead of yanking it around like I usually did. “It’s the novelty. A bit of fun.”

I couldn’t admit to Dad that the matching percentage between me and William was record-breaking. I certainly couldn’t admit that I had felt a connection, despite my determination not to.

Until I could see what the near future held for us, I would have to keep the details secret from him. Just to save myself the earache.

“So, who was your date, then? Did you like him?” Dad asked.

“We got on okay.” A huge understatement.

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