Page 95 of The Liar's Reckoning

I shake my head at the tone of regret in his voice before kissing him again, harder. Deeper. When I pull away again, he’s breathless, his hands fisted in my t-shirt at my lower back. This is how I know I’ll never get over him. I’ll put up with whatever it takes to keep him in my life just like this. Or as close to this as possible.

I grab his ass, pulling him even closer and kiss him again, more insistently. He gives way for me, welcoming me into every corner of his mouth, his embrace. Emotion and need unfurl between us. My fingertips cling, and my brow creases, the love of it all hitting me too hard, too fast.

“I want us to make a deal,” I say when I break away for a breath.

He freezes and stares at me, emerald flashing through dark lashes.

“Let’s let this be good. Can we do that? Stop looking for reasons it might not be and just let us bethis? Because I think we’re good.”

His throat moves with a rough swallow. “You’ll tell me if you’re not okay?”

I nod, smoothing back a lock of his hair and brushing my thumb across his beauty mark.

“It’s hard for me,” he says. “I want to give you so much more.”

It’s not an I love you, too, but in terms of declarations and under the current circumstances, it hits me directly in the chest. “You’re lucky I’m low maintenance.”

For the first time since he got here, he grins. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

I press my answering smile to his. We kiss as I pull him close to let him feel me, hard and aching for him. “See?” I say. “Easy.”

I thought Graham was asleep,half beneath me, naked on the couch. It’s dark out, and he’s spending the night because he’s leaving for DC again tomorrow for another three weeks. I was originally working tonight, but when he said he could get away, I traded my shift at Hanover to be with him. I already know how much I’ll miss him. These last two weeks’ worth of mornings have been a tease. I wish it could have been every morning, but my schedule doesn’t always allow that. But it has been most of them.

“Should we go to bed?” he asks, his voice low and rumbling.

I lift my head to look at him, surprised. “Thought you were sleeping.”

“Can’t. My mind’s all over the place.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s nothing you don’t know. What the fuck are the next few weeks gonna be like? Will Avery drink enough water? How many…anyway, you get it.”

“How many what?” I ask.

“Men will you meet,” he says after a few seconds hesitation.

I slide a hand from his chest to his neck and tilt his face toward mine. I kiss him. “You think about that?”

“Not all the time.” He rolls his eyes like he’s annoyed with himself then says grimly, “Sometimes.”

“I don’t,” I tell him honestly.

“I know. And I know you’re careful. I just worry, I guess.”

“I worry about you, too, you know,” I say, deflecting.

He scowls. “Why?”

“Like you’re gonna change. The power’ll start to go to your head?—”

He laughs. “What power?”

“You’ll figure it out at some point,” I say, “And when you do, maybe you’ll turn into someone who won’t like me quite so much.”

“I thought we agreed to let this be good.”

I swear we have to remind each other of that conversation every other day.

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