Page 59 of In Love and War
Maybe just once.
I turned myself around in his arms so that I was facing him. His eyes were closed, and he looked so peaceful. The kind of peaceful you only achieve in sleep.
The most beautiful man in the world, I thought to myself as I stared at him freely. I was in awe of the curve of his lips and the length of his black eyelashes, his smooth light brown skin, bladed jawline, and perfect eyebrows. He was absolutely breathtaking, always had been.
And then my eyes began to feel heavy again, so I nuzzled up against his chest and closed them.
18
Zac was already gone when I woke up in the morning, just before the alarm on my phone was set to go off. I had two hours to get organized and leave for the airport.
I rolled over to find a piece of paper with my name on it on the pillow beside me.
I didn’t want to wake you. There is breakfast and coffee in the kitchen. I’ll see you back in Toronto.
Have a safe flight.
Z
I lay in bed for at least fifteen minutes, my heart and mind fluttering, fully aware that I was absolutely and utterly done for.
“How was your trip?”Kai asked as he watched me unpack. He had picked me up from the airport and was now lazily snacking on crackers on the floor of my bedroom.
I knew to keep extra food around the house just for him. He was constantly snacking.Constantly.
“Exhausting,” I confessed. “But they really liked the presentation, which is good news. Means we won’t have to do a bunch of extra work.”
“Does it also mean you’ll have time for me again?” he asked, throwing a cracker at my head. “I’m mad at you. Finally back in the same city and I still barely get to see your beautiful goat face.”
“Yes, and I’m sorry,” I laughed. “The annual Sunday brunch charity event at my dad’s is the only thing I’ve got planned this weekend, which you’re already coming to. But we can do whatever else you want today and tomorrow.”
“No work at all, then, this weekend?” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“No work. I’m not touching my laptop,” I promised.
“I’m surprised your demon-boss let you get away with that. Was he a prick the whole time you were there?”
I froze at the mention of Zac, my mind racing to come up with something nonsuspicious to say. I thought my expression recovered quickly enough, but it was too late—he caught it.
A major downside of knowing someone your whole life is that they can read you like a book.
“What wasthat?” Kai asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
“Nothing, what do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as nonchalant as possible.
“Your face. It just did a thing.” He pointed at me with a cracker.
“No, it didn’t. And stop spilling crumbs all over my floor,” I complained in an attempt to distract him. I couldn’t care less about the crumbs.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“There’snothingto tell. My face didn’t do a thing,” I said, looking down at my suitcase. Avoiding eye contact was key.
“Liar!”He actually got up and came over to sit beside me instead. “Amelia Hailey Bloom,whatare you hiding from me?”
The truth was that I’d been dying to tell him since Zac kissed me, but I’d held back because I wasn’t entirely sure I would be able to…explainit properly.
It also didn’t help that Kai had always been quite protective of me, another by-product of having grown up together, and I knew he wouldn’t approve of this one. I considered pushing back again but cracked at the very last second. It wasn’t easy lying to him.
