Page 38 of Bobbing for Bodies

He nods, affirming the fact.

“You’re a sneak. I love that.” There’s that L word again, and I suppose it means something even minutely that we both used it back to back.Love. That word circles my mind. It begs to be redirected toward him, but I’m afraid I’ll scare him off if I do. And just like that, I shake the thought right out of my head. “You know what? I think I—”

Noah gently muzzles me with a lingering, sugar sweet kiss before pulling back with sleepy eyes.

“I want to say it first,” he whispers right over my lips. “I need you to hear me say it. I want it to sink into your bones.” He pulls back and gazes tenderly into my eyes. “I think I love you, Lottie Lemon. In fact, I know I do.”

My lips part as I try my hardest to memorize this moment. “I love you, too, Noah. I do.”

The moon shines a spotlight over us as if it were the final scene in some romantic black and white movie. But it’s not the final scene for Noah and me. The two of us have just begun.

That crooked grin begins to bloom on his face once again, his eyes never leaving mine.

Noah gently tucks a stray lock behind my ear. “I have a feeling I’ve just entered into the best season of my life. And I predict that with you by my side every season thereafter will be better and better.”

“They never stop getting better?” I bite down over a smile.

“With you in my life, that would be impossible. We’re a team, Lottie. And we’re building a solid foundation. No pretense, no secrets—filled with honesty and communication.”

Noah lands his oven-hot mouth over mine, and we indulge in something richer, far more decadent and sweeter than anything I could whip up in the kitchen. Noah and I are building a solid foundation. No pretense, no secrets—filled with honesty and communication. But deep down, I know for a fact there is plenty of pretense involved. I am rife with secrets. I am not filled with honesty, not entirely—especially when it comes to my supernatural tendencies. And I will most certainly not communicate a single word about them. It’s bad enough I’ve spilled the supernatural beans to Everett.

No, Noah Fox can never be apprised of that paranormal part of my life.

And because of this, there will always be a thorny secret nestled between us, creating a barrier, a buffer that will forever stand between us.

It’s a division, and everyone knows a house divided cannot stand.

But Noah and I are different.

Aren’t we?

And I wonder.