Page 144 of A Dead Girl's Guide to Living
Ellis’s hair was wildly windblown, her cheeks flushed. I wondered if it was sunburn or windburn.
I followed her to the tiny reception shack. The woman behind the desk looked old and weathered, and she handed Ellis a key to number 5, attached to a giant plastic tag.
“Um, so, just so you know,” Ellis began as we walked toward our teepee, “it was cheaper to book a queen than a double. So… we only have one bed.”
I arched a brow, letting a smirk slide onto my face. “Well, well. Howconvenient.”
Her ears went red, but she kept her eyes fixed ahead.
Liv was already darting around the teepees, circling them with an excitement I wasn’t quite ready for.
Ellis stopped in front of ours, slipped in the key, and the door clicked and swung open. The walls were all white, with a small round window tucked near the top. It was cooler inside than I’d expected. A single queen bed sat beneath the gently sloped ceiling on one side. A lamp—clearly repurposed from an old gas pump—stood beside it, and mismatched vintage décor filled the rest of the space.
Ellis walked in and dropped her bag on the bed, fiddling with the zipper. Her focus was intense as she rifled through her clothes, refusing to make eye contact.
“You know, Ellis,” I said as I stepped inside, “if you wanted to share a bed with me, all you had to do was ask.”
She turned, clutching a sweater, her mouth gaping. “I didn’t—that’s not—I just—”
“I’m teasing,” I said with a grin, setting my own bag beside hers and flicking her gently on the nose. “Relax.”
She let out a small huff and went back to her bag, but a smile tugged at those perfect lips.
“I think I have enough clothes to get me to Santa Monica,” she said, eyeing what she had left in her bag—then what was inside her wash bag. “How about you?”
I nodded once and glanced at mine. “I’m good too,” I murmured. “My main concern is always fresh underwear. The rest is whatever.”
I looked down at Ellis’s still-white shoes, still confused by how she managed it. We had literally spent part of the afternoon walking the edges of the Petrified Forest, and her shoes were still clean. It had been dusty out there.
The forest had been incredible—trees turned to stone, their rings frozen in time, colors glinting like gemstones in the sun.
It had been the perfect spot in Arizona to leave a piece of Margaret.
“What should we eat for dinner?” I asked, turning to sit on the edge of the bed. I reached for Ellis’s arm and gently tugged her to stand between my legs.
Her cheeks flushed immediately, and her hands found my shoulders to steady herself.
“I’m not sure,” she murmured, looking shy. I bit back the grin threatening to break as my hands came to rest at the curve of herwaist, brushing bare skin where her not-a-crop-top had ridden up.
Goosebumps scattered across her skin.
“We could order in,” I said, watching her lips part slightly. “I’m thinking pizza, to be honest.”
“That could be good,” she murmured, eyes focused intently on her hand, where her fingers were toying with the material of my shirt. “I’m okay with pizza. I don’t think I could handle going out again, if I’m honest. I’m so tired.”
I nodded once and stood, surprising her, judging by the little sound she made. Our bodies pressed together, close enough that I could almost feel her heartbeat. But she wasn’t tense. Her body was soft, relaxed, and her hands now rested on my upper arms. Her eyes met mine, and behind the nerves and shyness, there was something intense.
She was so fucking cute.
I closed the distance and captured her mouth in a kiss that immediately seared heat through me.
I’d wanted to do this since she pulled the top down on the car and drove for hours with the wind in her hair and the sun dancing on her skin.
I deepened the kiss, trailing my fingers along her delicate jaw, my heart skipping as she pressed closer. The world tilted a little as she kissed me back, those soft lips moving in perfect unison with mine. Like we were two puzzle pieces that fit. Two magnets drawn together, not repelled.
My phone buzzed sharply in my back pocket, breaking the spell.
I pulled back in surprise, and Ellis blinked at me—her face flushed, her lips red.
