Page 179 of Falling Backwards
I don’t want to greet the day outside this bedroom, but with our moments alone interrupted, I have to admit, “I don’t even know what time it is.”
Maggie gives me a little smile.“I don’t either.And I don’t wanna find out.”Her eyes drift over my face with gentle, almost lazy longing.“Friendsgiving, though.”
“Yeah.”
God, I’m used to this already—to waking up with her being the first thing I encounter and to this closeness that’s vulnerable and smoldering and easy all at once.
More banging noises come from the kitchen, making both of us sigh.As damn good as all this is, I could definitely do without the interruptions.
“In case you forgot,” she says softly, unwinding her hug of me to lay curled fingers to my cheek, “you’re my ten too.”
Ihadforgotten she returned that sentiment to me, and I’m glad to be reminded.
I slant down to her lips again.“Thank you.”
“Thanky….”
For long, slow moments, our kiss is more important than words.
Then I shift to whisper near her ear again, “By the way, I really am gonna give the thank-you money back to you, and I don’t wanna hear shit about it.”
Her laugh-laced, eye-crinkling grin is contagious.
But it does make me think of noise, which makes me think of her friends, which makes me lean back and ask, “So, is my presence gonna be announced to your friends here in a minute or do you wanna sneak me out?”
I love it when this girl’s cheeks go pink.
I don’t love the prospect of having to tiptoe out the front door, though.I didn’t want to wake Joy and Emma during the night when I was so hung up on telling Maggie I want to be with her for real, but now that that’s settled and it’s a new day, I don’t care who—
“I don’t wanna sneak you out,” she answers.“I’m happy you’re here, and they’ll be happy I’m happy.But even if they wouldn’t be, I still wouldn’t wanna hide you.”
A smile of relief comes over me.
She worries her lower lip with her teeth and asks, “What about you?Would you rather they didn’t know you’ve been here?”
I brush my thumb over that lip.“Nope.Show me off, Green Eyes.”
She gives a soft snort of amusement, but I notice relief about her too.“Okay.Are you gonna show me off, too, Blue Eyes?”
“Hell yeah, I am.”
Nevermind that we’ve been acting like a couple in public for some time already.We both already know we have.This agreement still means something, because this is genuine now.
I don’t know how to describe how good that makes me feel.
I get one last good look at her before I tsk and say, “All right, let’s get up, I guess.”
“Yeah, okay.”Then she pauses in the middle of moving the blanket back, sweeps her gaze over me, too, and looks…just…bright.With that expression on her face and her hair tumbling over her shoulders and her cheeks still a little pink and her side of the bed rumpled where she was just lying, she’s a certain kind of flawless.
I swear she’s thinking much the same about me.
Our eyes meet and we share one last smile before we get moving.
And I decide I actually don’t mind greeting the day, because doing that means carrying on with her.
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
