Page 46 of My Heart Before You

“That makes sense.”

A slight joy at the comfortable back and forth they used to share bounced around in his body.

“After listening to my mom speak my whole life though, I’ve been known to drawl a bit more depending on if I am speaking to someone with an accent. I know I shouldn’t, but I have a bad habit of mirroring whomever I’m talking to. The minute I say, ‘bless your heart,’ I know I’ve gone too far.”

“I’m surprised as all get out,” he said, completely deadpan with perfect diction.

It was natural for him to tease her, and he hadn’t thought about how right now, that might be a really stupid idea. Fortunately, he was rewarded with a swift, playful punch that sent his spirits soaring.

“Stop!”

“Yes, ma’am.” He laid his accent on thick.

Another playful punch hit his jacketed arm. “I mean it.”

His lips rose so high they hurt for a few long strides, but then dropped when she halted suddenly.

She glanced at the brownstone beside them. “This is me.”

He swore he saw disappointment flash over her face, or at least he was going to tell himself that’s what he saw. His gaze swept his surroundings as recognition set in. How did they get here so fast?

The urge to reach out to her pulsed so strongly through him, but since they were finally getting back to normal, he wasn’t going to chance ruining it. He pushed his hands deeper into his jacket pockets to stave off temptation as she turned to face him.

“Goodnight then. Will you be okay?”

“Yes. Thank you for everything. Truly. I really appreciate it, Colin.” As she said his name, she held her hand out as if to touch his arm but rested her hand and her eyes on his jacket just over his heart.

It was if every surgical alarm bell he’d ever heard rang loud in his head screaming, “She’s touchingyou.” He almost lost all of his restraint not to wrap her in his arms and kiss her with that single simple action. Luckily, she released him as quickly as she’d possessed him and turned to open the door.

Emilie was through the glass entry door and waving from beyond it, ascending the stairs. He took his hand out of his pocket to return the wave before turning to trudge home in the cold. All he could think of as he spent the late hours of a freezing Boston night walking in the falling snow was that it was completely worth it.

?Chapter 19?

Emilie woke to a buzzing sound. It took a few seconds to figure out that it wasn’t her alarm, but the doorbell. Groaning, she flipped the covers off her and shuffled down the hall to the front door intercom. This had better not be a salesperson waking her up on her day off.

“Hello?” She rubbed her knuckles over her eyes before pushing the hair out of her face.

“Emilie?” The distorted intercom sounded with a man’s voice. Definitely someone who knew her. The buzzer downstairs for her unit simply said “Hunt” in neat block letters.

“Yes?” She stifled a yawn into the back of her hand.

“It’s Colin.” A quick pause was followed by, “Abernan. From the hospital?” He said it as if she didn’t know who he was.

Her heartbeat immediately quickened as her groggy brain put together that Colin was at her door, and that she was braless in her pajamas. When he spoke again, she realized that she never responded to him, just stood there frozen with her finger on the intercom button.

“Can I speak to you for a minute?”

She sputtered a response. “Um, uh, yeah. Just wait at the top of the stairs. I’m not dressed.”

Why did I say that?

A pause was followed by the sound of him clearing his throat. “Okay.”

She pushed the button to open the entry door to the building and ran as fast as she could to her bedroom, throwing on a pair of leggings, a bra, and an oversized wide neck sweatshirt from her alma mater. Pulling the sheets over her bed, she stopped, wondering why she would make her bed when he wasn’t going to see it and instead rushed to brush her teeth instead. She quickly finger combed her hair and took a look at her main room.

Generally, she wasn’t a messy person and kept her condo picked up, but currently it was in a state of slovenliness. She bustled around the room tidying with the speed and efficiency of a spider untangling a fallen leaf from its web. At the door, she took several settling deep breaths before reaching to open it. While she stretched her hand toward the handle, it dawned on her that he probably heard her running around like a mad woman.

Colin was facing away with his hands on the banister. When he turned to her with a shy grin, her already speeding pulse quickened. It was an endearing look on a powerful man.

---