Page 93 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"Not with you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just curious. You seemed friendly."

"Because he's my friend. He's also a fellow business owner. We help each other out when we can. He's been great at showing my guests a wonderful time on the water or in the mountains, whatever they want to do."

"Okay. Whatever."

She smiled. "I like that you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous. If I want something, I just get it for myself."

"Does that mean you don't want me, or you do?"

"You are a little more complicated than I'm used to," he admitted.

"So are you. I really didn't want to like you, but I couldn't stop myself."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"I just wish we had more time. The days are passing so quickly. But we still have later…"

He smiled back at her. "Which may not be too long from now. It's getting darker."

"You're right," she said, turning her gaze toward the sky.

The crowd around them seemed to hush as the light began to dim.

It was a bit of an eerie feeling to have the daylight vanish so quickly—to have no moon, no sun.

And in the following darkness, Lizzie's hand slipped into his, and he found her mouth with unerring accuracy. They didn't need light, not when they had each other. He kissed her with the longing that had been building within him all day. He kissed her with a feeling of urgency, a desire to slow down time, to keep them together as long as he possibly could.

And she matched him kiss for kiss, her desire as palpable as his own. He could feel her heart beating against his chest as their bodies pressed together. And his own pulse raced in return as they clung together, sharing a passion that seemed almost overwhelming. And then the light began to seep back into the day.

She pulled away, giving him a breathless look, her lips pink and puffy from the onslaught of his mouth, her eyes bright and sparkling, and full of promise, a promise he wanted to take advantage of. But the sun was coming back out, and they were no longer alone in the intimate darkness. The party was back on.

"Lizzie," Shay called, waving to her from the other side of the picnic table.

"I'll be back," she said.

He nodded, thinking maybe it was just as well she was moving away. He needed a minute to get his head together.

But he wasn't going to get that minute, he realized, as his grandparents approached.

"That was so fun," his grandmother said. "Wasn't it?"

"Very cool. I've never been outside during an eclipse."

"It wasn't night or day, it was just in between," his grandmother added.

"He gets it," his grandfather put in. "And you're stalling, Marie."

Justin got curious at his grandfather's words. "Stalling about what?"

"There's something I need to tell you," his grandmother said. "I should have said something before now, in fact."

"Is something wrong?"

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