Page 184 of Power Play

I believed her. Maybe that was stupid, or maybe I was already too far gone to protect myself through doubt.

Either way, I kissed her.

This kiss was slower than the desperate ones from three nights earlier. My hand slid into her hair while hers curled into the front of my hoodie, and when she kissed me back, the frantic edge was gone.

It was simply Charm.

I liked that more.

A knock hit the door.

“Ryan,” somebody called from the hallway. “Twenty minutes.”

I pulled my mouth from hers and cursed beneath my breath.

Charm laughed softly. “You have to go.”

“Unfortunately.”

Her smile faded, and I hated that.

I checked the time. “Three days.”

She nodded. “Three days.”

I took her phone from her hand, and Charm frowned.

“What are you doing?”

I unlocked it with the code she told me weeks earlier, opened her notes app, and typed one sentence in Spanish before handing it back.

Charm read the words, and her brows pulled together.

“What does that mean?”

I smiled. “Translate it.”

She looked suspicious. “That is never a good sign.”

“It’s a very good sign.”

I stepped closer and took her face between both hands. “Three days, mi hada.”

Then I kissed her again.

This one was harder, enough to leave her breathless and make leaving hurt.

When I pulled back, Charm looked dazed.

“Go,” she whispered.

“You sure?”

“No.”

I laughed. “Better answer.”

I picked up my duffel, and Charm followed me into the hallway toward the elevator.