Page 33 of Forbidden Whispers

“Thank you,” Maggie said, feeling incredibly grateful.

She changed her clothes and then moved into the tiny bathroom to wash her face in the pedestal sink. She studied herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and her curls were out of control. She pulled a hair clip from her purse and did damage control, clipping it up in back to create a more manageable cloud of curls on top of her head.

She wished she had a toothbrush, but rummaged in her purse again and pulled out a piece of gum to chew instead. She remembered how she’d offered a piece to Noah after he’d been sick. Had it really only been that morning?

She pinched her cheeks to give them some color and daubed on some lightly tinted lip balm, determined not to look like a total slouch despite the circumstances.

She exited the bathroom and found Noah in a gray Whispering Pines Police Department T-shirt and shorts. He was holding two steaming mugs.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I made us each a mug of chamomile tea,” he said. “My Nana always used to drink it in the evenings, so it must be good for relaxing.”

He handed her one of the mugs and she curled her fingers around it to take a small sip, feeling the warmth of it seep into her.

“Do you want to sit for a bit?”

“Sure,” she said.

They walked over to the loveseat and sat down. Maggie attempted to sit on the far edge of one side, but it seemed that the springs at the center of it were broken, causing her and Noah to end up squished together in the middle.

She was hyper-aware of the skin-to-skin contact as their bare legs and arms bumped against each other. She thought about getting up and sitting in one of the wingback chairs instead. But she didn’t want Noah to know how much this was affecting her. So, she remained where she was and attempted to play it cool, taking another sip of her tea.

“This is perfect, thank you, Noah,” she said, cradling the mug in her hands.

“I thought we could use a little unwinding after the day we’ve had.”

“I agree. That Nick and Johnny were seriously scary. I wonder who they are and how they’re involved with Valentina?”

“I don’t know,” Noah said with a shake of his head. “Can you believe they thought we were cops?”

“Crazy, right?” Maggie agreed. “And it’s clear from the way they said it that for them, being cops was not a good thing.”

“Yeah. So, it’s probably good that they sound no closer to finding Valentina than we are.”

“I really pray nothing bad has happened to her,” Maggie said.

Noah put his mug down on a coffee table coaster and ran a hand through his hair. “I just wish I could remember more from last night.”

“Well, at least we know Valentina was still fine while you two were dancing the night away on the sunset cruise last night,” Maggie said.

“Mhm, and according to the videos, I was clearly using some of my best dance moves.” He grimaced.

Maggie giggled at the memory of the cell phone images and videos.

“You know, despite all the chaos of today, I really had a nice time with you tonight,” he said. “It reminded me of how much fun we used to have when we hung out together in high school.”

“Yeah, me too,” she said, keeping her eyes focused on her mug and trying to keep her tone light. “Although I don’t recall ever getting to dance with you before.”

There was a breath of silence after she spoke. Then she heard his voice, soft beside her. “Well, I’m glad I got to remedy that tonight, Maggie.”

She felt his eyes on her and lifted her gaze, her eyes snagged by his. “Me too.”

There was another long pause. He was so close to her right now. Her body felt aflame everywhere their skin connected, and her insides fluttered like someone had just released a flock of butterflies. It was so late and she was feeling loopy, almost dreamlike.

Was it possible that he’d moved even closer? The two of them were now practically nose to nose, their faces inches apart. The electricity between them was tangible, sparking and igniting every nerve in her body. Her eyes drifted down to his tempting lips, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away. The urge to kiss him consumed her thoughts. She wondered what it would feel like. She imagined the heat of his mouth on hers, the softness of his lips, the taste of him. Desire pulsed through her veins, urging her to lean in just a fraction more.

His voice was a heated whisper. “Maggie...”

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