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“Such a shame,” I whispered, voice curling like smoke between us. Her gaze remained trained on a nearby tree, and I swallowed a chuckle.
“Mia, look at me,” I coaxed, thumb brushing over her chin before tipping it back towards me with the gentlest pressure.
Her eyes shimmered with a million contradictory things—if I had to guess, the same ones swirling in my chest.
She glanced at my mouth, then quickly away, before doing a double-take that shot through my spine like pure adrenaline, reminding me I was supposed to have balls.
“Speaking of…” I dusted a bit of snow off her shoulder. “You never did reply to my text.”
I shuffled forward a single step, but the reaction was immediate. Another hitch in her breath, and her eyes flew up to mine, wide and panicked.
“I-I thought—”
Her teeth caught that bottom lip, spiking my pulse, before I dragged in a slow, pained gulp of air and looked back up.
“Yeah?” My fingers slid to the side of her neck, kicking up goosebumps, by the way she gasped.
Snow crunched under my feet as I took another step forward, until her warmth ghosted over my face, until her scent hooked me in, cutting through the fresh snow and pine. I had to bite down on a groan and on the overwhelming impulse to crash my mouth against hers.
Her gaze poured into mine, pupils blowing wide. The pull in my gut sharpened and my blood rose in my ears, boiling hot and rushing all over.
“I thought you were just messing with me,” she said on a big shuddering breath. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, like she wasn’t supposed to say that, like she shouldn’t even be here, close enough I could count the freckles on her nose, close enough our breaths mingled in a white cloud between us.
“So did I,” I lied. Cool fingers scrubbed over my face, slow and torturous, before dropping to my sides and curling into a fist.
But a tentative flicker of hope barrelled through me—she hadn’t actually shoved me away. If anything, her body inched a little closer.
“Push me away, Mia,” I taunted, or tried to. My voice had turned husky and strained.
Her chin tipped up, then her hand rose and nudged my chest, so tentatively, it didn’t even qualify as a shove.
Giving her plenty of time to stop me, my hand slid to trap hers against my sweater, and my thumb drew slow circles over the inside of her wrist—once, twice, feeling her pulse jump and rabbit under her skin.
Her heart was betraying her so completely, it would’ve been funny, if I weren’t equally wrecked, if my own wasn’t thrashing against my ribs.
My chest leaned into her touch as her palm scorched me to the skin, a brand I was too happy to wear.
“Come on, Mia. Say your favourite words: ‘fuck off, Josh.’” My lips pulled into a half-smirk.
Her jaw worked under my gaze, as if she was considering it.
“Jerk,” she muttered instead, scrunching up her nose at me and giving me a half-hearted shove that couldn’t dislodge a fly.
“Yeah?” My thumb brushed her jaw in a slow metronome, whispering over heated skin.
Her fingers curled tentatively into my sweater, her gaze snagged on my lips, and her breathing turned rapid and shallow, stumbling over itself.
My body arched in, mouth teasing the corner of hers.
“Come on. Push me away… or I’m gonna kiss you,” I warned.
Her breath stuttered violently, ghosting over my face in sharp little pants that smelled like something sweet and spicy, something I ached to taste.
Her silence was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.
Barely registering the laughter spilling from the café, I pulled her to the side, away from prying eyes, until her back pressed against the wall, and her chest rose and fell fast against mine, like we’d just run a few laps.
“Last chance, Mia.”
