Page 105 of Appointing

“What? No.”

“Sorry; I have a dinner with Alex and her parents tonight. Palmer and Elizabeth already went back to St.Rais, and Mari is out with Erik.”

“I thought Lillian went with you, too.”

“She did. She’ll be there,” Elin said.

“Oh, good,” Ingrid replied.

“Why?”

“I was starting to think I should worry about you and Princess Alexandria over there.”

“Worry?” Elin asked. “About–” She laughed. “Alex?”

“Yes, but I don’t call her Alex.”

“She’s not my type,” Elin told her, still laughing. “We’re more like cousins. Technically, wearecousins.”

“Distant,” Ingrid noted.

“Ingrid, I don’t like Alex like that,” Elin replied. “You’re not really–“ She paused. “Ingrid, I like you. I want you.”

Ingrid smiled and said, “Have a safe flight home, okay?”

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I can’t wait,” Ingrid told her.

“Oh, big sister… You really do have it bad, don’t you?” Sarah asked once Ingrid had hung up.

???

“Hi,” Ingrid greeted.

“Hi,” Elin said, smiling at her. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah. Sarah is out shopping, by the way. So, she won’t–”

“Won’t what?” Elin asked, turning around to face her once she was in the apartment.

“Um… Interrupt.” Ingrid swallowed.

“Interrupt what?” Elin teased.

“I haven’t seen you in a week, Elin,” she said, pulling the woman toward her. “Kiss me.”

Elin leaned in, and Ingrid pressed their lips together, not wanting to wait any longer. Elin’s lips were just as soft as she remembered, and Elin had this way of making Ingrid feel like she was in charge of the kiss when, really, Elin was directing the whole thing. Elin’s hand moved to Ingrid’s cheek, cupped it for a moment, and then moved into Ingrid’s hair.

“The car is waiting,” Elin told her when she pulled back just a bit.

“We don’t have to go anywhere. We can just stay here and keep doing this,” Ingrid said, pulling her back in for more.

“I don’t actually drive the car, so we can keep doing this the whole way there, if you want,” Elin replied.

“Oh, yeah?” Ingrid said. “How long is the drive?”

“Well, the drive isn’t all that long,” Elin shared. “But then there’s the plane, and I don’t know how to fly, so we can do thisthere, too.”

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