Page 99 of Seale the Deal

I spent months convincing myself I could do this. That I could marry her on paper, help her build a future, and somehow keep my heart separate from all of it.

Turns out I’m an idiot.

We climb back into the helicopter, and Wrenley settles into her seat, pulling the headset over her ears. She looks at me with a soft smile, and my chest tightens all over again.

The helicopter lifts off, and the landscape falls away beneath us, but my thoughts remain stubbornly on the woman a few feet away. I keep replaying the kiss in my head. The way she stepped closer. How her mouth opened for me and made me feel like in that moment, whatever exists between us isn’t living exclusively in my imagination.

But that’s created a whole new problem. Now, I need to know. I need to know if that kiss meant what I think it meant. Whether she’s been fighting this as hard as I have. If any of this is real.

The rotor blades spin overhead, loud enough to drown out every sound around us. Well, every sound except the truth bouncing around in my brain. I don’t think that after that kiss, I can fake it anymore.

The drive back to the hotel is quiet, but not in a comfortable way. Every mile seems to add another layer to it until the truck cab feels too small for both of us. Wrenley just stares out the passenger window with her fingers laced together in her lap, her expression unreadable. Every now and then, I catch myself looking over at her before forcing my eyes back to the road. The problem is that the longer the silence stretches, the harder it becomes to hold on to the certainty I’d felt on that glacier.

The silence follows us all the way to the hotel, through the glass door, and into the lobby. We walk side by side to the elevator, but it feels like there is an ocean between us. She doesn’t reach for me or brush against my arm. She doesn’t even make one of the teasing comments that come so naturally between us. The overhead lights seem harsher than they did this morning, the conversations around us louder. Every detail feels strangely sharp, as though my brain is trying to focus on anything other than the question I actually want answered.

The elevator arrives with a soft chime. Wrenley steps in, and I follow.

The doors slide shut, sealing us into the small space. I can hear the hum of the elevator, the rustles of her clothes as she shifts her weight, and my own heartbeat pounding far harder than it has any right to.

Suddenly, I realize I’d rather hear her say that she doesn’t want me than to continue to drown in the uncertainty.

I turn toward her, and I know my eyes are intense when she startles as she looks at me.

What are you doing? she asks softly, confusion written all over her face.

I take a step closer, my knees threatening to give. I take another step closer, closing the distance between us. Her breath catches. Mine does too. For a second, I just stand there looking at her, and then instinct takes over.

Before I can think about the consequences, I pull her flush against me and press my lips to hers.

Chapter 19

Wrenley

DAYS LEFT ON THE VISA: 57-56

My eyes are open.

I’m stunned, and I can’t help but stare at the man kissing me in an elevator like he’s forgotten every reason we shouldn’t.

The kiss on the glacier had come with an excuse. We were supposed to do it. We had an audience, and a camera, and a potential Christmas card. No matter how much I’d felt during it, there had always been a safety net underneath. A reason to dismiss the way my pulse raced whenever I thought about it after.

But right now, no one is watching us. No one cares if we look like a legitimate couple or just two people who happened to be riding the elevator at the same time. So there is no reason for this handsome man to kiss me.

But God, I don’t want him to stop.

He drags his teeth along my bottom lip, nipping just enough to make it feel like an invitation.

I finally close my eyes, letting the shock melt into something deeper. His free hand curves around the back of my neck, warm and possessive. I let out a soft sigh as my lips part for him.

That’s all he needs.

He takes the opportunity to let his tongue sweep into my mouth. The elevator ride is short, and he doesn’t want to waste a second.

I should be sorting through this. Figuring out what it means and where it leaves us. But I can’t think when all I feel is how firm he is—everywhere. And knowing that my kiss is doing that to him only makes every rational thought disappear.

I know this isn’t supposed to feel good or right, but it does. And right now, all I want is another second. Another minute. Another chance to stand here in his arms and pretend the rest of the world can wait.

I—