Page 35 of The Man in the Cottage

"That's okay. I didn't get you anything either."

We're so close. When did we get this close? I can see the warmth in her brown eyes, the way her lips part slightly, the pulse jumping in her throat.

"Kelly," I say again, and I don't know what I'm asking for, but she seems to understand anyway.

"Yeah," she whispers. "Okay."

I lean in slowly, giving her every chance to pull back. She doesn't.

The kiss is soft at first. Tentative. I'm half-convinced she's going to change her mind, push me away, tell me this was a mistake. But then her hand comes up to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, and something shifts.

I kiss her like I've been wanting to for weeks. Like she's the first good thing that's happened to me in months and I don't know how to be careful with it. Her fingers twist in my hair and I make a sound I'm not proud of, something between a groan and a sigh, and I feel her smile against my mouth.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard. Her forehead is pressed against mine, her eyes still closed, and I can feel her pulse racing under my fingertips where they've found her jaw.

I laugh. I can't help it. This quiet, disbelieving sound that comes out of nowhere.

She opens her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. Just..." I shake my head. "I didn't think this was how tonight was going to go."

"Me neither." She pulls back just enough to look at me, and she's smiling, really smiling, the kind that crinkles the corners of her eyes. "For the record, this was better."

"Yeah?"

"Much better."

I want to kiss her again. I want to kiss her until the sun comes up and her friends start wondering where she went. But it's late, and she's had a long night, and I don't want to push my luck.

"You should probably go back," I say. "Your friends are going to think I kidnapped you."

"Probably." She doesn't move.

"Kelly."

"I know, I know." She sighs and stands up, and I immediately miss the warmth of her. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

I walk her to the door. She steps out onto the porch, then turns back, and before I can say anything she kisses me again. Quick this time, just a brush of her lips against mine.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Travis."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

She walks across the yard toward the main house, and I watch her until she's inside, until the lights flicker and settle. Then I close the door and lean against it, my heart pounding like I just skated a double shift.

She kissed me. She knows everything, and she kissed me anyway.

I don't know what happens next. But for the first time in a long time, I can't wait to find out.

Chapter Eleven

Kelly

I don't sleep.

I lie in my grandmother's bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the kiss over and over until my lips feel bruised from the memory of it. The way he leaned in slowly, like he was giving me every chance to change my mind. The way his hand felt on my jaw, rough and warm. The sound he made when I pulled him closer—something between a groan and a sigh that I'm going to be thinking about for the rest of my life.