Page 44 of Firefly Effect

Evie: I’m okay. Gabe means well. He just gets on these power trips sometimes.

Lincoln: Sounds like you know him pretty well.

There’s a pang in my chest—I sense Lincoln’s jealousy.

Evie: We’ve known each other since we were kids. He’s always been protective over me.

I nibble on my bottom lip, wondering if I should divulge additional details. Maybe then he’ll understand why the two of us have a deeper connection than we should, considering we’ve been broken up for months.

Evie: Gabe was there the night of Carley’s death. Carley’s the reason he became a cop. He wants to protect the town from tragedies like that. This recent killing hit him pretty hard.

When no reply comes until well into closing down the bar and locking the doors, I begin to worry that I’ve made too many excuses for Gabe. That might not sit well with Lincoln, considering the two of them don’t get along. Finally, my phone lights up when I’m alone in the empty bar.

Lincoln: Sorry, had to feed Lucy and then help Francine put together the new dresser she bought. Lucy just went to sleep. I’m sorry if I was being insensitive about Gabe.

I rush to type a reply.

Evie: You weren’t. It’s okay.

Lincoln: Well, now that I feel like a jackass…

Evie: Please don’t feel like that. You’re not a jackass. You just didn’t know.

A few beats of silence go by before I try again.

Evie: See you Saturday?

This time, I don’t have to wait long for a response.

Lincoln: How about now?

There’s a light rapping at the entrance to Firefly, causing my heart to leap into my throat. I rush to the door and pull down the blinds to see Lincoln standing there, rain coating his dark hair and glistening from his beard. Under the neon lights of the Firefly sign, his eyes appear a brighter tone of green than normal, and they affect my core like he’s just undressed me with them.

Pulling open the door, I take a step back, allowing him room to walk through. “Hi.” It’s all I’m able to say. I’m too shocked. Too curious. Too… happy.

“Hi,” he says, giving nothing away in his expression. Instead, he closes the door behind him then focuses back on me. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here. Lucy slept in the guesthouse with Gammy, and I wanted to see you.”

I smile at Lucy’s nickname for her grandmother and at his admission. “That’s twice in one day, Doctor Reed. I might start getting the wrong idea.”

His gaze darkens, and he takes another step, closing the gap between us. “You really need to stop calling me that.”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek in an attempt to keep my composure. “What if I like it too much?”

“Then you’ll need to ask permission.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer, nuzzling into my hair. “I think permission could be granted—on one condition.”

Heat flames in my cheeks. I can only imagine what this condition might be. “I’m listening.”

Lincoln’s strong fingers slide through my hair before he grips the back of my neck. “You see,” he says softly as his mouth closes in, “there’s something I’ve been desperate for. Something only you can give me.”

A thrill runs through me. “Is that so?”

He nods and his lips brush mine. “Mm-hmm.”

My eyes flutter closed, ready for the kiss we’ve both been yearning for. So far, my imagination has set it all up for nothing but failure considering how intensely the possibilities play out in my mind.

“Well,” I say, my head buzzing from the electricity between us. “What are you waiting for?”

A smile curls his mouth briefly before his lips press to mine—his warm, firm, commanding lips—eliciting a moan from me. My heart beats firmly at the sensation, a steady acceleration in my chest.

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