Page 78 of Hot Saltwater Kisses

“Yeah. They’re good people, you know?” Logan stilled for a beat, eyes searching mine. “What I’m trying to say…” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “Getting things right around here—I want to help Nia with that. It’d be sort of a trial run for a potential Sustainability Lead role. But I also know how much you hate the idea of dating the boss, so…” Another pause. “Would that be okay? Just until we get things on track.”

God.

“Logan.” Slow and serious. I wound both hands into his hair and held his gaze. “I’m not running, okay? I’m with you.”

He watched me with liquid shadows in his eyes before a full smile turned up the corners of his mouth. It felt like the room shifted around us, shadows deepening and walls skittering away, Logan the only thing in focus. “Six hours,” he said.

I frowned. “Six hours?”

“That’s the ideal case.”

“You talking stamina?” I let my mouth quirk up. “Don’t think I’m gonna last that long.”

He exhaled a breathy chuckle. “Visiting here. I did the math, you know? On how long it takes from the moment I leave my apartment. I can’t hang around forever—but I’ll visit. Lots. So much you’ll get tired of me.”

My chest broke open just a little more. I was so fuckinggonefor him, Christ, no dry land in sight.

“I won’t.” I cupped the back of his head, fingertips tracing the line where skin met hair. Anchoring him as much as myself. “Won’t get tired of you. But it’s not... No need to visit. I won’t be here.”

Sudden tension knotted his muscles, and no, that wasn’t—no.

“Hey, no.” I shook my head and took a deep breath. “Sorry, that came out wrong. What I meant is... Well, Katie says hi. She didn’t remember a Logan Fox. A Logan Prescott, though? Yeah.”

“Katie?” Confusion still twisted his mouth.

“I’m moving back to Miami.” The words tasted strange on my tongue—not wrong, just new and a little surreal.

“You...” His eyes went wide with surprise. “Milo, that’s...” He trailed off, his face soft and serious. “If you’re doing this for me—? I don’t want you to resent me later.”

“No, babe.”Babe.I let it go. “I’m doing it for myself. I called Katie this afternoon, before you and I even talked.”

“But you love it here.” His voice was thick with something that made my pulse stutter, the curve of his mouth achingly vulnerable. I pulled him in, fingers tucked into the silky strands of his hair, kissing him, slow and thorough. He fell into it like I was gravity.

“It’s been a beautiful escape.” I shaped the words against his lips. “But it’s time I stop running.”

“Milo, I...” He swallowed, eyes glittering. “Are yousure?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

All tension drained from him, rushing away like water. He rolledon top of me and seared our lips together. I tilted my head up for him—falling, floating, not sure which way was up or down.

“I love you.” He made it sound like a promise, and, oh. Felt like touching down, my sense of balance restored. I inhaled and reached for a grin.

“I know.”

He grinned back. “Good.”

We stayed like that for a minute, suspended in the moment, time turned irrelevant. The ceiling fan kept spinning its whispering tales. It was a gradual slide into awareness—the weight of his body and the press of skin, shimmering heat seeping back in around the edges of my vision. When I shifted under him, legs falling open, his eyes went dark. Still he waited, watching me.

I dug my fingers into his back muscles. “Enough talking.”

His mouth gained an impish tilt. “You telling me to shut up?”

“I’m telling you to fuck me already.”

“Language, Milo,” he said, all prim and proper. “Personally, I prefer the term ‘making love.’”

Idiot.It felt like I might never stop smiling. “As long as it ends with your dick in me, I’m cool.”

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