Page 94 of The Fire Walker

“Reckon?” I asked, an eyebrow quirking at the Aussieslang.

“If I’m going to live here, I’ve got to learn thelingo.”

“Oh, my God,” Zoe said behind us as she put the ticket into the machine to pay. “I like her more and more everyday.”

“I fucking love you,” I whispered in Jessie’s ear. “I’m so glad you’rehere.”

“I love you, Dee Cosgrove. Don’t you ever forgetit.”

“How could I?” I thought about the fire we’d both walked over to get to this point and shook my head. Some fuckingafterglow.

“What?” she asked, catching themovement.

“Nothing.”

“What?” she proddedagain.

“I was just thinking about the shit we’ve been through to gethere.”

Jessie smiled up at me with her big brown Bambi eyes, melting my already liquefied heart and said, “There’s no heat without aflame.”

Where those one-liners came from, I had no idea, but all I wanted to do was kiss her stupid. Cupping her cheek, I pressed my lips to hers, consuming, devouring, obliterating, not giving one shit we were in a public place or that Zoe was standing there waiting forus.

Jessie Ware was mine, and I was hers. And the bestpart?

We had our entire lives ahead ofus.