Page 265 of The Lies We Play

Halston looks at my wrist like he can already see it there.

Then Creed lowers his mouth to my shoulder. He doesn’t kiss it at first. He only rests there, breath warm against my skin.

“You really thought about this,” he says.

“I do occasionally think.”

Halston’s eyes lift to mine. “Occasionally.”

“Do not gang up on me while I am being emotionally available.”

Creed laughs softly, but his mouth finally presses to my shoulder. “Wouldn’t dream of it, baby.”

Halston lifts my wrist and kisses the place where the tattoo would go.

My entire body goes still.

That kiss is nothing.

That kiss is everything.

A mouth on bare skin, a promise on a place where a pulse can be found.

“I’ll find a place,” Halston says.

Creed’s voice comes from behind me, lower now. “Make sure to check my game calendar because I want to do it at the same time as you two.”

I turn my head to look at him.

“You’re sure?” I ask.

He leans in and kisses me.

Not fast.

Not playful.

A deep, slow kiss that makes my hand tighten around Halston’s without meaning to. Creed’s mouth moves against mine with tenderness and heat, with last night still living in him, with the kind of care that makes me feel less like falling and more like being caught on purpose.

When he pulls back, he stays close.

“I have never been more sure of anything that scared me,” he says.

Halston’s hand tightens around mine.

Creed kisses my temple, then says, “We should probably find a tattoo artist who won’t be horrified by three people showing up before coffee.”

Creed’s hand slides over my waist.

Halston’s thumb stays on my wrist.

This is what I missed while I was away, but it was a good semester. Also, I learned that being away doesn’t mean losing the people I love. They hold my heart, I hold theirs and no matter the space and time, nothing will ever tear us apart.

Nothing.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Halston