Page 62 of The Enemy Face Off

And we definitely can't kiss again since I'm the one who instigated the one-kiss rule. I can't break it less than twenty-four hours later.

Can I?

No, Beth, you cannot. Now stop wasting time and answer Milo's question before you cross over and join him as co-mayor of Weirdsville.

"The good news is we're fine to travel back to Comfort Bay. The roads on this side of the mountain have reopened."

"That's great." His eyes stay on my lips for a few more seconds before he lifts his gaze and offers a slight nod. "What would you like to do?"

Is it just me or is there a raspy edge to his voice?

Stay here and keep kissing you, is what I want to say. "Go home, I guess," is what I actually say.

"All right. Let's go home then."

"Before we do." I hesitate, unsure whether I want to bring this up, because if I do, there'll be an unspoken implication for him to join me.

And I don't know how I feel about that.

I'd like to do it with him, but then again, I've never done it with a guy before.

I shake my head. "Forget it."

He shuffles closer and hooks his fingers under my chin, gently tilting my head up until my eyes meet his. "You can tell me anything, Beth.Please."

There's something about the warmth in his voice, the sincerity shining in his eyes, that gives me the courage to break through a piece of that old resistance and say to him, "I'd like to go for a walk."

"Oh. Okay."Come on, girl. Don't stop now. He's clearly waiting for you to invite him."Want to come with me?"

"I'd love to." A radiant smile spreads across his face. "I thought you'd never ask."

I smile back.

I almost didn't.

Thirty minutes later, we're hiking along a trail behind the motel.

Milo's been quiet.

We both have been.

I'm doing it. I'm actually going on an early morning walk with a guy I like. I know it's not the biggest achievement in the world, but it feels like a breakthrough for me. Apart from my girlfriends, and my mom when I was younger, morning walks have always been a solo activity.

Neither of the guys I dated expressed any interest in joining me. Not that Milo and I are dating, but it's nice he was so enthusiastic about coming along.

My head is still spinning.

I'm walking with Milo, and he told me our kiss last night was the most spectacular kiss of his life.

Guess I can add emotional intelligence to the list of traits I assumed he didn't possess, because what type of man says something like that?

The sincerity in his voice and the conviction in his eyes as he said it, made me believe him. And when you've been lied to by guys in the past, you develop a sixth sense for these things. He wasn't feeding me some throwaway line, he meant what he said.

I pick up the pace a little. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replies, matching me stride for stride.

"What was Josie and Jonah's mom like?"

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