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“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.” Athena hated that she was suddenly so tense. Was this the breakup? Was this Monti realizing what they were doing wasn’t for her? Did Fallon convince Monti to run the opposite direction?

“Because Fallon had a point to make, and I think it’s a valid one.”

“That we shouldn’t be kissing because I’m a married woman?” Athena gritted her teeth. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it was finally time for that to happen.

“No. No, she didn’t even mention that.” Monti waited until Athena looked into her eyes before continuing. “I’m trusting that you’re telling me the truth about your relationship with Kevin. You’ve never lied to me. Why would you lie about that?”

“Because I’ve lied about it for over twenty years,” Athena whispered.

“Have you? Or did you simply bend the truth to suit the situation?”

Athena wanted to argue. But when she thought about it that way, she hadn’t lied. She did love Kevin. Just not the way most people thought she did. He was her best friend, and he had been the best support she’d ever had. “You might be right about that one.”

“Trust me that I am.” Monti smiled, a lightness to her face that she hadn’t had all day. “I have a degree or two for a reason.”

Athena chuckled lightly. “What did Fallon notice?”

“Oh, that we’re not all that different from each other.” Monti kissed Athena’s knuckles again. This time, however, Athena turned her hand and presented Monti her wrist. Just what would Monti do with that offering? Monti lifted an eyebrow, made eye contact, and then lowered her lips again, pressing them delicately against Athena’s skin.

Athena drew in a raspy breath, her heart skipping a beat or two. “How are we the same?”

“We both run from tough emotions.”

“You’re a therapist,” Athena commented.

“Which is a really convenient way to talk about someone else and not myself.” Monti kissed Athena’s wrist again.

Athena’s breath caught in her throat. She wavered on what to pay attention to—Monti’s mouth against her skin, or the words she was saying. The words whose impact Athena was avoiding through distraction. “So what are you not telling me?”

“I’m on a journey to find peace.”

Monti kissed again, this time against the fabric of Athena’s jacket. But Athena swore that she could feel it on her skin. That Monti’s lips were really touching her. She held her breath, wishing they weren’t on a plane full of people, that it was possible to find somewhere a bit more private.

“It’s a long journey because I haven’t made very much progress.” Monti kissed her again, this time on the inside of her elbow. “I was in the middle of a therapy session when I figured it out, when I realized that I shouldn’t be a therapist until I’d done the work myself. Unfortunately, and I think you’ll agree with this, old habits die hard.”

“Mmm…yes.” Athena was completely enraptured with Monti’s mouth, the way she moved, the soft and tender touches. She tried to focus on what she was saying, but it was so hard.

“So I’ve continued to avoid the real problem.” Monti kissed her shoulder.

Athena slid in closer, wanting desperately for Monti to continue right on up. Her body was warm, ready for the touches, for the caresses. “What’s the real problem?”

“I might not remember my parents, at least not very well. But my body remembers them. My body holds the arguments, the violence, the chaos that I was born into.” She kissed Athena’s neck, her lips so hot against Athena’s skin that it felt almost like she was burned.

Athena whimpered and tilted her head ever so slightly to give Monti more access. Because she wanted more. She wanted to feel everything that Monti was offering, not just the touches and the kisses, the pleasure. She craved that peace.

“If I want to find peace…” Monti kissed her chin. “Then I can’t avoid what happened any longer.”

“S-some conversation.” Athena swallowed hard, facing Monti. “Seems Fallon has a way with words like you do.”

“Big sisters are useful for some things, aren’t they?”

“Fallon is very useful.” Athena dropped her gaze to Monti’s mouth, from the gentle rise of her upper lip to the bottom curve of her lower one. Monti’s pink tongue peeked right at the edge of her mouth before disappearing again. Before she knew what she was doing, Athena leaned in and captured Monti’s mouth in a generous kiss.

Monti wrapped her fingers around Athena’s neck, pulling her in closer and deepening the embrace. This time they were on even footing. Athena leaned over the armrest, cursing the seatbelt that pushed against her hips and forced her to stay put. She nipped Monti’s lower lip and then slid her tongue across the slight injury to soothe it.

The sound of a throat clearing caused Athena to jerk back. But when she finally got the courage to look, no one was there, or at least whoever had interrupted them was back to doing whatever they were doing before. The two businessmen across the aisle from them didn’t seem to pay them a lick of attention. Athena shifted in her seat, her underwear damp and her skin flushed. She’d never wanted to take her jacket off more than she did at that moment.

“We’re both in prisons of our own making,” Monti finally said, settling back into her seat with Athena’s hand in hers again. “Your house is yours. The lack of a house is mine.”