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The duckie towel was seriously cozy. She glanced at her reflection. If she didn’t look quite as ridiculous, she might’ve taken a selfie.

In the bedroom, she spread out on the bed instead of getting dressed, not quite ready to leave. She nuzzled her nose into her arm and inhaled Charlie’s body soap lingering on her skin.

Dewy skin scent lingers… feather touches send ripples down my spine…

She leaped up and powered on her phone, her mind swirling with inspiration. Multiple missed messages from Viviane blared back at her from last night.

Viviane: You kill me that you never answer your phone. Can you give me a buzz?

Viviane: Woman. Hit me up, please. We need to chat about something.

Viviane: Seriously. Call me, please. Need to check in about something.

Viviane: Also, I made it home okay. My flight was great, thanks for asking. :/

Oops. Mack could be a terrible friend sometimes. She’d had every intention of texting to ask if Viviane got home okay, but she got red hair and full lips distracted. She clicked on her open page app and tapped.

I’m dancing. My feet planted, my straitjacket limbs glued to my side, but I’m dancing. She whispers to me, “Come here,” and who knew combining those two words with the curling of an index finger could have the power of kryptonite. I stagger towards her, sober but somehow drunk. She slides her tongue onto mine, and I brace myself against the chair.

I ask, and she lets me in. Goddamn, she lets me in. I seize her, throw her underneath me, and hook one knee up high. I want to see all of her, share her body, feel her from the inside. She is my dream, laid out before me, the answer to my prayers. Right then, clarity grips me. Whatever it takes, I will protect her. She is mine as much as I am hers, and I will fiercely defend us. They will not rip us apart. They will fail in destroying our happiness.

I will roll naked on a glass beach to get to this woman.

She is my everything.

The phone was too tiny. Her fingers couldn’t keep up with her thoughts. She threw on her clothes and raced down the stairs to the shop. Once she got to the bottom, her hand hovered over the doorknob, and her body stilled.

Why did she feel sheepish? An hour ago, she and Charlie were snuggling in bed, basking in… everything. And hours before that, Mack had never felt closer to another human. But a spell occurred amongthe darkened rooms and warmed bodies. Now the morning sun swallowed the trees and homes around her, and the cover of white sheets and a dusky sky no longer existed.

Mack shook out her arms and opened the door.

“Hey, you.” Charlie’s velvety tone melted every insecurity.

Mack quickly looked around the empty shop and pulled Charlie in for a kiss. Her mouth pressed against Mack’s, freely, warmly. All right, it was settled. From here on out, every morning needed to start precisely that way.

“Hmmm… I could get used to this.” Charlie sighed into Mack’s mouth. “Coffee? Scone?”

“Only if I can have it upstairs, with you serving it to me naked.”

Charlie blushed and moved behind the counter. The water hissed over the crushed coffee beans as a caffeinated aroma settled in the air. “I’ve never seen you with a wrinkle.”

Mack glanced down at her rumpled day-old shirt. “My soul is currently dying a miserable, very disappointed, unkempt death.” While reaching for Charlie’s hand, she took a quick sip. The warm coffee traveled slowly as Mack brushed her fingertips across Charlie’s knuckles. “We’re good, right? Everything’s good?”

“Yep. Are you?”

Mack nodded. She needed time to process. Sensations from last night and emotions from this previous month overstimulated her body. But the way a fiber of warmth linked her heart, mind, and body like connective tissue intoxicated her to the point that she never wanted to leave. “Yeah. For sure. This is all just new for me. I’m not sure what to say or how to act.”

Charlie kissed Mack’s hand. “It’s new for me, too. We’ll figure this out together, okay? Honestly, right now, all I’m worried about is taking a nap.”

“Oh God, same!” Mack dug her beeping phone from her pocket. “Ugh, Uber’s here already. I have to head back to my parents’ place. I’m gonna take a nap and come back in a few hours.”

“Perfect.”

“Kiss for the road?” Mack winked.

Charlie pulled her in. “Do you even need to ask?”

TWENTY-THREE