Page 32

“I never wanted to hurt you,” she whispered, the words trembling with sincerity. “Back then, I really thought it was for the best. If I stayed, I would have… I would have–”

Her voice caught, and I watched her throat move in a hard swallow.

“I would have ruined everything. Myfamilywould have ruined everything,” she finally managed. “I was scared, and confused, and I wanted so much to tell you that I lov–” A shaky breath left her lips, and she trailed off, unable to form the word.

But I could hear it reverberating in the silence between us.

My breath seized, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at her, my pounding heart stuttering to a stop.

She loved me?

Back then, when we were kids and… maybe now.

And she wasn’t alone. Somewhere along the way I had realized that I wasn’t just falling for the memory of who Maxine had been years ago. I was falling for hernow– the complicated, guarded, insatiable woman sitting next to me, who was very quickly turning pink at her almost-confession.

Quite quickly, I came to a decision. And slowly, so slowly it felt like wading through a dream, I leaned in.

I didn’t ask for permission, didn’t dare breathe too loudly in case I shattered the moment. I just leaned closer. Our eyes locked, and I leaned closer and closer. Closer, until my lips brushed against hers.

It was a whisper of a kiss, soft, barely there. Gentle and questioning.

When I pulled away, my heart hammered in my chest, a potent concoction of exhilaration and fear rocketing through my veins. Maxine looked momentarily stunned, her cheeks flooding with color even in the dim light.

For a second, neither of us spoke, but a tremor of anticipation lingered, lacing the air around us like a live wire. I wondered if I’d pushed too far, if I’d misread the signals. But all I saw in Maxine’s eyes was a stunned sort of wonder that mirrored my own.

I cleared my throat, tearing my gaze away, focusing instead on the stars overhead. The city lights glowed at the edges of my vision, but all I could concentrate on was the wild beat of my pulse.

“You can… share the bed with me tonight, if you want,” I said softly, my words calm despite the nerves coiling inside me. “It’s – there’s plenty of room.”

Maxine’s eyes widened.

“Just–” I stood before she could speak, anxiety clawing at me, and turned to head inside. “Just, think about it.”

I forced myself to breathe, and to believe that maybe, just maybe, she’d follow.

15

Maxine

Thank god I was technically undead because if I’d been human when Leah had kissed me I would have died on the fucking spot.

I sat on the deck, staring out at the water and willing the rosy blush from my cheeks. The chill breeze brushed my skin, sending my skirt fluttering, and I realized absently that part of my dress was trailing over the edge, dipped into the water.

Normally, I would have been horrified by the thought of ruining a perfectly good evening gown, but at that moment, all my usual impulses were drowned out by a single, insistent thought:Leah just kissed me.

I exhaled, hugging my knees to my chest. My mind spun with conflicting emotions – caution, guilt, longing.This is a terrible idea.I still hadn’t told her the full story about my fiancé, or the depth of my family’s malevolence. She deserved honesty, and I had offered her half-truths and cryptic confessions at best.

But that kiss… that shy, tentative press of her lips against mine. She’d cracked open a door I’d been holding shut for so long.

My pulse fluttered as I stood and kicked off my shoes, gathering the wet hem of my dress and making my way through the cabin. The boat rocked gently beneath my feet, unsteady ground to match my shaky resolve.

I reached her bedroom door. She’d left it slightly ajar, a faint slice of light in the dim cabin, and I pushed it open entirely. Leah stood near the bed, her back partly turned to me.

She whirled around the instant I entered, eyes wide with uncertainty. In two swift steps I closed the distance between us. Her lips parted but I left her no room to speak.

My hand found the nape of her neck, gripped it tight, and I pulled her into a sudden, fierce, devouring kiss.

It was nothing like the tentative peck on the deck; this was heated, frantic, as I poured every unsaid word into a single breath.