Page 62 of Forget Me Not

“Who in the hell?” I mutter, stepping over the mess and heading to the front door to peer out the peephole.

Reid.

My stomach twists into knots and I hastily smooth down my hair and hope to God I don’t look too crazy before I twist the handle.

“Let’s go.” His eyes ghost up my body, leaving goosebumps in their wake and when they settle on the bright red nail polish Katelyn painted on my toes, I’m suddenly burning up from the inside out.

“What? Is everything okay at the inn?”

“Everything’s fine. Get your shoes on.”

“At midnight?”

“Do you have somewhere else to be?”

Bed.

Preferably his.

“Hurry up or we’ll miss it.”

A minute later and I’m locking the door behind me after sliding on some sneakers.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask, but he just takes my hand and pulls me down the sidewalk. My stomach dips at the feeling of his skin on mine. The warmth of his palm radiates through me, a stark contrast to the night breeze coming off the Atlantic.

“You’ll see,” he says quietly, pulling me down the main road and to the little side street that leads to the docks.

“We aren’t supposed to be out here at night.” God, I sound like a killjoy.

He just chuckles, moving a loose piece of chain-link out of the way for me to climb through.

“Rules are made to be broken, little bird.”

“Fine,” I grumble, climbing under and moving out of the way so he can slip in behind me. “You’re going to get me arrested.”

“I’ll bail you out.” He steers me toward the long narrow dock with the palm of his hand at my back. A shiver ghosts up my spine and I almost stumble because I’m too busy paying attention to the feeling of his hands on me.

“Should I be worried?”

“Be careful.”

“The water looks like glass.” I stop at the edge of the dock, a few feet back because, well . . . I really don’t want to get anywhere near the water. The waves are small and calm— unusual for Port Nova, and the moonlight reflects off the surface of the Atlantic. It’s beautiful, but haunting.

A sudden splash about fifty feet in front of us causes me to jump. Reid wraps his arms around me, hauling me back into his chest, so I don’t stumble over the side and my heart feels like it’s playing beat the Nova with my ribcage.

“What was that?” I ask, both scared of the water and warm with his body wrapped around mine. I’m not used to having someone so close to me. I’m definitely not used to him being so . . . easy to be around. This time last week, we’d either be at each other’s throats or at each other’s mouths. Whichever happened first.

“Whales.”

Another splash breaks the surface of the water, and the big hump of a whale breaks the calm water before dipping back. A smaller hump, a baby, matches the movements of its mother, swimming happily alongside her.

“What are they doing so close to land?” I ask, watching them in awe.

“It’s high tide,” he says, tightening his arms around me when I shiver against a light breeze. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” I breathe and before I know what I’m doing, I’m resting my hands over his.

It feels good to be held by someone. No . . . to be held by him. I’ve been pushing him away, but some part of me desperately craves to be close to him. To just be without having to worry about what I’ve done in the past. Who I’ve lost.

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