Page 34 of Last Minute

Kissing Erik was like climbing onto the palace roof after a rainstorm and seeing the entirety of the gardens bathed in sunlight, the dew refracting the light like diamonds.

But like my roof escapades, my adventures with Erik are short-lived. One week culminating in one kiss, and now I’ll be boarding a private jet back to Brysard in a little over three hours.

Erik isn’t forthcoming with his words, either, this morning, and an awkward silence, punctuated by stolen glances, fills the room. When we’re ready to leave, Erik’s words are short and few, and he leaves at least a foot of space between us at all times. The cold expression I remember from the day we met once again dominates his features, and the absence of the small smiles I pulled out of him this week sucks the air from my lungs.

But I smile anyway.

Erik leads us down to his car and climbs in the driver’s seat without a word to me. I hesitate on the passenger side for a moment before climbing into the back seat like I had last night. The playful friendship between us is gone, leaving the line we shouldn’t have crossed uncovered and apparent between us.

The address to the private airport is the only thing I say to Erik for the thirty minute drive out of Boston to a smaller airfield in a nearby city. All of the flight details had been in an email I found waiting for me when I woke up this morning. With as few words as possible, Erik and I make our way through the terminal and to the waiting private jet.

A familiar face is waiting for me at the base of the stairs into the jet.

“Travis!”

A huge grin splits Travis Beckett’s face as he watches me and Erik approach. I break away from Erik, leaving my suitcase behind, and run into Beckett’s open arms. He pulls me in for a hug, and I squeeze him gently around the middle, remembering that he had an appendectomy only a few days ago.

“I didn’t think you’d be cleared to work for a few more weeks.”

“I’m not,” he says, tipping his head to the side when a second executive protection agent peeks her head out of the jet. “Victoria’s on point. But I thought you could use a friendly face.”

I wave at Victoria, an EPA who is usually assigned to my mother, and get a small wave and a grin back. “It’s good to see you, Your Highness,” she calls before checking her watch and ducking back into the jet.

Remembering that Erik is still standing behind me with my suitcase, I turn to introduce him to my long-time EPA.

“Travis, this is Erik Donovan. Erik, this is Travis Beckett.”

The smile falls from Travis’ face as he scrutinizes Erik. Travis narrows his eyes and nods to himself before extending his hand, which Erik takes and shakes firmly.

“Thanks for keeping Her Highness safe.” Beckett’s formality is enough to make me roll my eyes. “I appreciate you stepping in at the last minute and being there when I couldn’t.” Something unspoken passes between the two men before Erik nods and steps back from the handshake.

When he looks at me, his expression softens for the first time today, and I get a glimpse of the man I know, the one who drove me around and went bowling with me and took me to a wedding.

“Ellie,” he begins to say, but then he snaps his mouth shut. His eyes cut away from me for a moment, like he’s struggling to find the words.

“We’re leaving in twenty, Your Highness.” Victoria’s authoritative voice fills the air behind me.

Victoria.

Now that I’m here, Victoria is in charge of my security with Beckett providing backup, even if he isn’t cleared by his doctor.

Erik is off the clock.

A civilian.

Erik looks up, surprise in his eyes, as I close the distance between us and throw my arms around his neck, reaching up onto my tiptoes to kiss him.

His arms come around me, holding me to his chest as he kisses me back. This kiss is miles away from the sweet, timid pecks from last night. This kiss is passionate and reckless. This kiss sets me on fire from the inside, blazing a path from my lips to my heart to every inch of my body. But just as quickly as the fire consumes me, it dies, leaving only embers.

Because this kiss is also a goodbye.

With my heart still pounding, I pull back, resting my forehead against Erik’s. His hands still clutch greedily at my back, telling me without words how much the next moments are going to pain him.

“Erik,” I whisper, keeping my eyes shut and fighting the tears that want to rise to the surface. His palm moves up my spine, settling at the base of my neck, and as I feel his fingers press me closer to him, I hold in all my tears.

Erik is watching me when I open my eyes, the same heartbreak I feel is apparent on his face.

But we knew this was how it was going to end.

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