Chapter 8 #3
They kissed again. And again. Soft mouths, warm breaths. Each one lingered a second longer than the last before they pulled back, foreheads touching, both of them smiling like they’ve discovered something fragile and extraordinary.
“We’re good,” she whispered, more reassurance than question.
“We’re good,” he agreed, brushing his thumb along her jaw before letting his hand fall away.
They shifted slightly, lying back side by side, the television murmuring quietly in the background.
At some point, Nora curled closer, her head resting against his shoulder, his arm sliding around her in a way that felt instinctive rather than possessive.
It felt comfortable. Safe. The kind of closeness that didn’t demand anything more.
And for the first time in ages, Nora felt herself relax.
Truly relax.
Before she knew it, her eyes felt almost too heavy to stay open.
Sleep came in pieces. She would drift, wake, and drift again.
At one point she was aware of Milo’s chin resting lightly on the top of her head, of his breathing syncing with hers.
It was nice. There wasn’t a clock in the room and she had no idea what time it was, but the thought of getting up and leaving was beyond unappealing.
Still, it was probably the right thing to do.
But when she went to roll away, Milo’s embrace tightened ever so slightly. “Stay,” he whispered.
That was it.
Just one little word.
And yet…it was all she needed to allow herself to finally fall into a deep sleep.
Morning arrived slowly, pale light slipping through the curtains. The world outside stirred—birds chirping, wind through the trees, a day waiting to be led.
She rarely slept with an alarm; her body knew when it was time for her to get up.
Even when she didn’t want to because she was in the arms of a man who was starting to mean a lot to her.
She shifted carefully, already knowing she had to leave.
Beside her, Milo stirred, blinking awake as she sat up. “Hey,” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep. He glanced around in confusion, and she knew the moment panic hit. “Damn, Nora. I’m sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep. That wasn’t…I mean…I should have…”
Twisting toward him, she placed her finger over his lips. “For the record, we both fell asleep. And as you can see, we’re both fully clothed. It was just an innocent sleepover, so relax. We’re fine.”
He visibly relaxed. “Oh. Okay. Good.” Sitting up, he raked a hand through his hair as he yawned. “What time is it?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say around six. But I really need to go. I’ve got a group hike that starts at eight.” Then she frowned. “I really should find my phone and check the time.”
They were both on their feet. Milo cleared away the remnants of their dessert and put the dishes in the sink while Nora went in search of her phone.
“6:05,” she said with relief. “Awesome. I can go back to the cabin and shower and have some coffee to wake myself up.” He joined her, picking up his phone and sliding it into his pocket. “What about you? What’s on your agenda today?”
“We’ve got a meeting with our contractors to talk about the amphitheater project. It’ll be me and the guys in the conference room, but when they walk the property, I’m going to stay behind because I’ve got to handle some stuff for my company back in Seattle.”
“Sounds like a full day.”
He nodded. “It will be, but it’s nothing overly taxing.”
“Still, it must be nice that you can work remotely,” she said, sliding her shoes on and looking around for anything else she might have forgotten.
“It definitely has its perks, but I might fly back next week just to take care of a few things.”
Disappointment hit her hard. “Oh.”
“Maybe you could take a few days off and come with me,” he suggested. “I’ve seen a bit of your world, and I guess I’d like to show you mine.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “I’d like that. I’ll have to check with Slater and Lexi. The schedule’s already set so I’d have to change shifts with someone and…”
“Then how about the following week so they can plan for it before the schedule’s set?”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have reasons you were going to go home next week.”
“It’s nothing that can’t wait. Besides, I kind of like the idea of you coming with me and seeing that I can actually handle flying in a regular-sized plane.”
That made her laugh. “I guess that would be a good thing to see.”
Nodding again, he reached for her hand, his fingers warm and steady. “I’ll see you later?”
She smiled, leaning in to kiss him, until she remembered morning breath. “Um…yeah, so…I really wish I had a breath mint or something.”
He tugged her close. “I feel the same way, but I’d really like to kiss you before we have to step outside and face the real world again.”
Nora swore she felt her face heat. “That would be nice,” she whispered.
And then his lips were on hers—soft, lingering, full of things they weren’t rushing into yet. When they reluctantly broke apart, he asked, “So? Can I see you later?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’d like that.”
They slipped out of the cabin as the sun crested the trees. She wished they had time to walk along the lake, but they’d have to do it another day.
Slowly, they walked along the path without saying a word.
It wasn’t necessary. Milo walked her all the way to her cabin, even though they passed his along the way.
And when they stepped up onto her porch, he kissed her again, and for the first time since she arrived at the resort, she hated that she had to go to work.
Right now, she wanted to tug him into her cabin, lock the door, and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist for a little while longer.
But maybe that was an adventure for another day.