Chapter 5 #3
The woman walked away, and Evie became acutely aware of two things at once: First, she had absolutely started this. And second, Slater wasn’t done with it.
His thumb shifted at her waist, just barely brushing the fabric of her sweater. A slow, deliberate stroke that made her breath hitch.
“You kiss all your friends like that?” he murmured.
Her pulse hammered against her ribs. “It was strategic,” she said, aiming for breezy and landing somewhere closer to breathless.
“Strategic,” he repeated, eyes darkening as his hand slid just slightly higher on her waist—still entirely appropriate—and yet nothing about it felt innocent.
Nodding, she said, “I thought it was better than just grabbing you and kissing you like we did yesterday. I didn’t want to make a public spectacle out of it.” And then, because she was feeling as sassy as she was nervous, she added, “Some things deserve to be private.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, Slater groaned, his eyes closing briefly before he looked at her and said, “Good to know.”
She wasn’t sure whether he meant it as a warning or a promise. “Slater…”
“You smell like warm vanilla sugar,” he interrupted quietly.
Her brain short-circuited. “What?”
“Just noticing,” he said. That heat was still there, both in his voice and his eyes. And she was definitely losing herself in that gaze.
Then he leaned in—not kissing her, not even close—but near enough that his mouth brushed her temple as he spoke.
“Next time,” he said softly, “give me a little warning.”
Her fingers tightened reflexively in his shirt. “Why?” she asked.
His gaze dropped again to her lips. “So I’m prepared,” he said.
Prepared? Prepared for what? She wondered.
He released her waist, but not before his thumb made one last deliberate sweep. “C’mon,” he said, voice steadier now, but only barely. “Let’s get you back to our cabin.”
Our.
And just like that, she felt a thrill she had never known before. This wasn’t playful banter or a show, and this wasn’t a test. This was happening.
Slater’s hand came to rest on her lower back, guiding her forward out of the lounge, but not before he tossed some cash down on the bar. Then he ushered her forward. She didn’t dare look at him. Right now, her main focus was on remembering to put one foot in front of the other and to breathe.
It was crazy how her brain couldn’t seem to remember how to handle vital functions, but it was more than okay with telling her to do something completely reckless.
They made their way across the lobby and, if anything, it felt like he had moved closer, like he was shielding her from something. Evie wanted to burrow closer, but it wasn’t possible to do that and keep moving.
The moment they stepped outside the lodge, the night air hit her lungs like a shock. Cold and bracing. Slater didn’t say a word; he just took her hand. His fingers laced through hers with quiet certainty, and the look he gave her—brief and charged—made it clear this wasn’t pretend anymore.
The parking lot lights cast long shadows across the asphalt as they crossed. Gravel crunched under their feet. Somewhere behind them, the muffled sound of laughter spilled out from the lodge doors.
Evie’s pulse pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it along with the thoughts racing through her head.
This was insane. This was her friend. This was the man she’d sworn—quietly and stubbornly—to keep in the safe category.
No messy lines. No blurred edges. No heartbreak.
She was leaving in a few weeks. Seattle was waiting.
That was where her life, her job, her entire world was.
And with Milo working here in Harbortown for most of the year, it wasn’t as if there was going to be much of an opportunity for her and Slater to see each other again.
Plus, she already knew he wasn’t planning on staying here either.
So where did that leave them? Maybe they’d see each other once a year. Holidays. Resort events. Milo and Nora’s wedding. Casual hugs. Easy smiles.
Better to have this—whatever this was—than to always wonder and regret that she never went for it.
And she knew she would. She was someone who needed answers.
For far too long, she’d lived in a safe space filled with rules and reminders of her upbringing.
And where had it gotten her? Nowhere. So tonight she was going to get her answers.
She was going to find out what it was like to go after what she wanted.
And she wanted Slater.
She was allowed to have this. One night to be reckless and unapologetic. One night to want without worrying about tomorrow. She didn’t always have to be the responsible one. It was okay to stop pretending she didn’t feel this every time he looked at her.
That was what she told herself as they left the pavement and turned onto the narrow path toward the cabins. The trees closed in around them, moonlight filtering through the branches. They would get to his cabin first, and she wondered if they were going to stop there or keep going.
They stopped.
He didn’t hesitate. He led her straight to it.
When they reached the small wooden steps, her stomach flipped. Slater finally released her hand, but only to unlock the door. The second it swung open, he guided her inside with a hand at the small of her back.
The door shut with a soft but definitive click, and silence wrapped around them. No lodge music. No distant laughter. Just the hum of the heater and the sound of her breathing going shallow.
She turned toward him and barely had time to inhale before his hands were on her. He hauled her in close—decisive and unhesitating—and kissed her.
Not the playful cheek kiss from the bar. Not accidental. Not testing.
Just hungry.
She’d never had a man hungry for her before. Not like this.
Evie gasped against his mouth, and that was all the invitation he seemed to need. His hands slid up her back, pulling her flush against him. Solid. Warm. Real. Her fingers fisted into his jacket.
This was Slater.
Her Slater.
The one who teased her about her coffee obsession. The one who fixed things without being asked. The one who looked at her tonight as if she’d lit a fuse he hadn’t known was there.
Her heart raced so hard she thought she might shake apart. He kissed her like he’d been holding back for months. And maybe he had.
Lord knows that’s how it’s been for her.
In the back of her mind, Evie wondered if she should stop this. If she should say something about friendship and lines and long-distance realities.
Instead, she kissed him back.
Clung to him.
Because she knew exactly what this was. She didn’t have to worry or wonder where this was going to lead; it was leading nowhere. This was just about two people who were attracted to each other. And ultimately, they were both leaving. Nothing about this made sense long term.
Sometimes you take the moment that’s in front of you instead of worrying about the one that won’t come.
His hands slid into her hair, tipping her head back slightly, deepening the kiss. The world narrowed to heat and breath and the solid press of his body against hers.
This wasn’t going to end with one kiss, not like it had yesterday. She knew it. He knew it. And somehow that made it harder to pull away.
He broke the kiss first.
Barely.
Just enough to press his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard.
“Evie.” Her name sounded strained and cautious, like it pained him to have to say it. His hands were still on her. Still holding her like she might disappear. His dark eyes searched hers now—not heated, but steady and intent.
“Are you sure?” he asked quietly, and she saw him swallow hard. “Nothing has to happen here that you don’t want.”
There it was. The line. The choice. He was leaving it up to her.
She thought about Seattle. About distance. About all the ways this could complicate everything.
Then she looked at him.
At the way he was giving her an out.
At the way he clearly wanted her anyway.
And something inside her settled. She reached for him again, sliding her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, anchoring herself there.
“I’m leaving in a few weeks,” she said softly.
His jaw tightened, but she held his gaze.
“But tonight,” she whispered, pulling him back to her, “I’m not going anywhere.
” She expected him to say something—anything—that was their M.O.
But he didn’t. Instead, he closed the distance between them and dove in for a kiss that went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye.
And when she felt him lift her into his arms, she knew she’d remember this moment forever.