Page 73 of An Inevitable Marriage

And by the time I walked into my apartment, I was no closer to figuring this shit out. Confused as all hell, I stalked down the hallway straight to the kitchen.

I wasn’t too surprised to find Snow there, slicing up yet another apple.

A frown drew my brows together. “Please tell me you eat more than a measly piece of fruit for breakfast.”

Her body jerked, and the knife she’d been using fell on the counter, hitting the marble with a clang. Out of all the things I found adorable about this woman, the fact she scared so easily had to be one of my favorites.

Without looking at me, Snow picked up her knife. “You need a freaking bell because you move like a damn cat.”

“Sorry.” I chuckled, venturing farther into the kitchen. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sure you didn’t.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I grabbed a shake from the fridge before joining her at the counter. I’d wanted to stand as close as possible to her, but with all the weirdness inside my brain, I chose the spot opposite her.

Not my worst decision.

It allowed me to shamelessly take my fill.

I raked my gaze over her gorgeous face and studied every little detail. The slight frown on her forehead, her dark, thick lashes fanning her cheeks, the gentle slope of her nose, the tiny sparkling stud, and those damn delectable red lips.

Fuck, she was stunning.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, voice low, gaze trained on her plate.

“Why are you only eating an apple?”

Those big, green eyes finally met mine, and shit, my insides immediately erupted into chaos. Blood boiling, heart thundering, I tried my damnedest to ignore the feel of my skin tightening. To ignore the way the band around my chest squeezed and squeezed.

“I asked you first.” Snow’s voice filtered through my ears like an anchor, tethering me to the present—to this moment—here, with her.

My mouth parted; another smart-ass remark poised on my tongue. But I never set it free. Instead, I chose to go with the truth.

“I’m looking because you’re fucking beautiful.”

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. Then, just like the other day, a pinkish color stained her skin. It started on her chest and slowly crept up into her cheeks.

“You don’t have to say these things,” she whispered.

My brows dipped lower. “Why the hell not? It’s true.”

More head shaking. She didn’t believe me, and I couldn’t understand why.

“Look at me,” I begged.

She didn’t. Not immediately. Five excruciatingly slow seconds ticked by before her lids parted and those pretty green eyes landed on me.

Suddenly, there was too much space between us. Rounding the counter, I stopped right in front of her. Close enough for flowers and strawberries to tease my senses. Close enough to reach out and touch her.

I tucked my fingers under her chin and steadily stroked the pad of my thumb along the line of her jaw. Skin so incredibly soft, it felt like velvet beneath my touch. And when she sucked in a sharp, stuttering breath, it was like music to my ears.

“Liam,” she breathed out. But before anything else could follow, a loud, obnoxious melody filled the room.

Snow blinked twice, then took two abrupt steps away from me. Teeth digging into her lip, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and grimaced.

“I need to go,” she said quickly. “Interview.” Another step backward. “It’s across town. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”

My feet moved, too. For every step she took away from me, I took one closer to her. Until she was standing with her back against the wall.