Page 27 of Bound Hearts

“Escaping as fast as you can?”

“No.” She sounds offended and scoops out a fresh pair of clothes from her bag.

Slowly I stride her way, and I take pride in the fact that she is clearly affected by my presence, as her body language changes as though I make her pulse quicken. The moment I wrap my arms around her, her back against my front, I feel our traitorous bodies react. Yes, we want to be physical again. But the air keeps shifting between us, every touch sparking a different kind of hopeful anticipation. The destination isn’t clear enough to us yet.

“We can get some breakfast,” I suggest in a tender voice.

“Tempting.” She avoids turning, wanting to give me a little resistance, otherwise it’s too easy.

I place a kiss on her cheek, near her ear. Not chaste nor sexual. It’s soft, sweet, and leaves a trail behind. Although innocent, it is still enough to notice her nipples react.

“You need to eat something that isn’t me,” I tease.

It breaks the moment, and she turns around to playfully slap my arm. “Classy.”

I laugh. “Come on, Sutton. Let’s go eat.”

Her smile looks like it hurts, and it’s probably because of my persistence. “Weekend breakfasts in public now?” She raises a brow.

I capture her by the waist and yank her close. “Who the fuck cares?”

Sighing, her smile remains. “Clearly not you. We might want to assess that.”

Damn, she’s causing me to put on every move today. I nuzzle my nose against hers. “Sutton.” My voice drops, and I say her name the way it should sound when she’s in trouble. And she is.

She scoffs at me, accepting that we can’t go in a circle. “We’re sleeping together, enjoying the occasional meal, taking the edge off.” She’s pretending to herself, and so am I if I’m honest.

There isn’t any hint of disappointment about that written on my face as I hook my finger under her chin to tip her face up to meet my intense gaze. “We are. We’ve been two people who go with the flow. So, we’ll keep going, just throw a few rules out.”

“Could be risky,” she points out.

“What isn’t?”

There’s a stretch of quiet between us. Everything inside of me is pounding, and not for the wrong reasons. It’s only excitement mixed with truth. She seems very open to my approach. Because it’s too magnetizing between us.

“You’re obnoxious, you know that? Twisting me to get your way,” she tells me with a half-smile.

“That’s a privilege I reserve for you.” I’m beginning to believe it, too.

Her fingers thrum against my chest, and her lips press together as she pretends to consider.

It’s not needed.

“We do what we do and don’t overthink things,” she says. That isn’t exactly the clearest of answers, but it’s something.

But I understand her, and that’s why I smirk with my success. “I’ll make a reservation.” I walk away with the swagger she always says I carry, leaving her to watch me.

And for the first time since she woke, I realize that I have zero heaviness inside me when it comes to her.

It shouldn’t be that easy, should it?

Walking into the gym, I’m surprised it isn’t that busy for 7pm on a workday. Normally, I’m here early in the morning, but I had an email overflow and an 8am breakfast meeting. A twelve-hour day in the office entitles me to a gym session. Be kind to yourself, right?

In the corner, one of the interns—if memory serves—grapples with the barbell machine. Nearby, a guy about my age pedals away on a stationary bike, eyes glued to the built-in TV. But then, I see her.

Sutton.

She’s dressed in marine-green leggings and a gray t-shirt, the fabric slipping off one shoulder to reveal the straps of her matching sports bra.