Page 18 of Point of Contention

With a curt nod, I stepped up to the front door and squared my shoulders. As I lifted my hand to knock, the door swung open and Rylan stood on the other side.

My breath caught at the sight of her, eyes drinking her in greedily after days apart.

Her brown hair was a disheveled mess and hanging around her shoulders in tangled waves. Her big, brown eyes were circled in darkness.

Her cheeks were puffy, swollen. Like she’d been crying, but not just a little bit.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked her over. Had she been crying since she sent that text? It certainly seemed that way. Four days had passed, and she looked as though the distance between us was hurting her as much as it pained me.

“Rylan.” Her name came out on a deep exhale.

Her eyes fluttered closed at the sound, then she opened them again and they glistened more than they had a moment ago. “What are you doing here?” As if suddenly realizing she hadn’t looked in the mirror in days, she ran her hands through her hair frantically, eyes widening.

But she’d never been more beautiful, more raw.

My fingers twitched, hands lifting to still hers, but then her eyes focused on my hands and I dropped them to my sides. “How are you?”

She laughed, then quickly covered her mouth. “I’m… great. Yeah.” She nodded. “Fantastic, actually.” She looked up at me through those thick eyelashes and the sadness in her eyes cut through my heart. But if she wanted me back, she didn’t say so. She didn’t move toward me.

She didn’t rush into my arms and tell me it was all a stupid mistake.

“Have you been sleeping?” I asked.

She swallowed hard, then shook her head. “Not a lot.”

My jaw clenched. She wasn’t taking care of herself. A miniscule and horrible part of me felt relief at that, placated by the fact that she wasn’t thriving without me, but I pushed it aside because I shouldn’t feel good about her pain—even if it did confirm that she missed me. Even if it did mirror my own.

“I miss you,” I said without thinking.

She shook her head. “Please don’t.”

Those two words shot straight through me. My chest tightened around my heart. Straightening my shoulders, I gave a curt nod and said, “I’d like you to return to the internship.”

Her mouth dropped open, then she quickly closed it and shook her head again. “You know I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Cabot,” she groaned. “How could I?” She scoffed, motioning toward me. “Everyone knows.”

“Yes. Everyone knows.” I shrugged. “Which means we have nothing to hide.”

She widened her eyes dramatically, then her gaze flicked behind me and she ducked backwards into the house. “See? Point proven.”

I glanced over my shoulder, grunting at the sight of the paparazzi across the street, then I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

She looked up at me with wide eyes, and her lips parted as the air shifted.

The airalwaysshifted when our bodies were within reach of one another.

I’d crossed the line, literally and figuratively. I’d stepped into her private space, invaded her home. And now, her body was a breath away from mine, lips close enough to kiss.

I held her gaze. My pulse sped.

Being so near her was intoxicating.

Her scent, the slight wetness on her bottom lip, the way her eyes searched mine, dilating as that ever-present lust bloomed between us again.

Before I could think better of it, I reached out and slid my hand behind her neck, hauling her against my body so quickly she gasped.