Page 116 of The Rebound Plan

“Hi,” Shannon says nervously. “I went home and then it didn’t feel like home. And I didn’t know where else to go.”

My knees almost buckle at the sight of her. “Come here.”

She folds into my chest, letting me hug her tightly. Her hair smells so good. I never want to let her go.

“I got your text,” she mumbles into my chest. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too, beautiful. And I’m glad you’re not on a plane to Calgary right now.”

She laughs. And then it turns to tears.

“Okay,” I murmur. “Let’s…”

I step back and let her in. “I left in a hurry and just got back, so it’s a bit of a mess.”

I’m self-conscious as I invite her into my space for the first time.

“It’s nice.” She only glances around briefly, and then looks at me again with watery eyes. “It’s been a long week. For both of us.”

“Let’s talk about it, then.” I lead her to my couch.

I sit first, and she curls up right next to me. I ghost my fingertips over her shoulder and up to her cheek. It feels so good to have her within touching range and mine to talk to as much as we want. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

She smiles shyly. “Kiley gave me the door code.”

“Does she know you used it today?”

“Not yet. I’ll probably tell her soon.” She takes a deep breath. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but I need to clear something up first.”

“What’s that?”

“You said you wouldn't kiss another man's wife.”

“Yeah. I?—”

“The thing is that legally, I’m going to be married for another year. And I don’t want to wait a year to kiss you. So I was hoping I could convince you to carve out an exception for me.”

“An exception?”

“Based on circumstances.”

“And what circumstances are those?”

“I’m in love with you.”

I’m focused so closely on her, on her face and her voice and the warmth of her body next to mine, that I hear the words before Ifeelthe words.

And then I’m hauling her into my arms, one hand behind her neck, the other on her hip.

I kiss her hungrily, tasting her mouth for the first time, and she’s sweeter than my dreams ever imagined. I devour her, so hungry, and she kisses me back which is the best part.

She pants into my mouth as she wraps her arms around my neck and licks back against my tongue.

“I love you, too,” I say between kisses. “Everything I said before was just self-preservation. You can have all the kisses you want.”

“I want a lot of them,” she whispers.

“You can kiss me as much as you fucking want.”

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