My lungs are useless as his mouth descends on mine, but as soon as our lips touch, I’m a goner. His kiss is gentle. Cautious. Foreign. It’s the complete opposite of our kiss on the boardwalk but just as crippling. It’s like a dance that I learned in a previous life but wasn’t aware of how much I missed it until the song came on. My fingers dig into his forearms as I keep him in place, praying he never ends this kiss because it’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced before.
It’s…more.
It isn’t just two mouths pressing together. It’s so much deeper than that.
And I want it all.
Which is what urges me to push him away. Catching my breath, I squeeze my eyes shut and count to ten even though I can feel his eyes on me.
When I finally gain the courage to peek up at him, I laugh quietly, “Whoa.”
Relieved, he joins in. “Yeah. Whoa. You okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You sure?”
Licking my lips, I plaster a fake smile to my face. “Yup. Who knew brownie batter tasted so good, right?”
His eyes dim before he drops his hands from my cheeks, making me miss their heat instantly. “Yeah. Who knew?”
The rest of the workshop goes by in a blur while I try to keep my emotions in check, which is damn near impossible. Gem would be so proud.
As soon as Dr. Lorringer finishes, I turn to Gage. “I completely forgot that I have to set some stuff up with Gem for tomorrow, so I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Wait––”
“Sorry, gotta run!”
Then I’m out the door faster than a senior on graduation day. I need to breathe, and I just realized I can’t do that when I’m around him.
I need to find Gem.
12
Nora
I spot Gem chatting with Conner in the Spin-the-Bottle room after our little therapy session. When she sees me, she waves me over.
“Hey! I didn’t expect to see you. How did––”
Grabbing her forearm, I whisper, “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Umm…sure? Let me just––”
“Now, Gem.”
Her eyebrows pinch together as she scans my face. After a second, she nods and turns back to Conner. “Hey, we’re gonna need a rain check on that drink. Let’s meet up tomorrow, maybe?”
“Yeah, sure,” a confused Conner replies. “How does brunch sound?”
“Perfect! I’ll see you at ten?”
“Sure thing. You okay, Nora?” His concern is palpable, but I ignore it.
“Yup. Just in desperate need of a little girl talk. That’s all.”
“You sure?”
I laugh, though it comes out more forced than I’d intended it to. “Yup. Just peachy.”
“Okay.” Rocking back on his heels, he adds, “If you ladies need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks.” Gem plants a quick kiss on his cheek then laces her arm through mine. “We’ll talk later.”
As soon as Conner is out of earshot, Gem tugs me to the side of the room where a dessert buffet has been spread out along a rectangular table. When a platter with brownie bites catches my eye, I cover my mouth and laugh pathetically.
“What’s going on, Nora? And where’s Gage?”
I shrug. “I don’t know where he is.”
“Okay, then…what’s going on?” she repeats.
A few tears slip past my defenses and glide down my cheek before I brush them away. “Nothing. Nothing is going on. And that’s the problem.”
Confused, Gem shakes her head. “I’m lost. You’re gonna have to spell it out for me. How did the workshop go?”
“Terrible,” I mutter, eyeing the stupid brownies again. “You owe me, by the way. I can’t believe you signed me up to basically have a therapy session in front of a bunch of strangers.”
“I did what?” Gem practically screeches before dropping her voice low. “I didn’t sign you up for a therapy session.”
“Dr. Lorringer begs to differ. She called my name out and asked me and Gage to come to the front of the room then basically dissected our relationship––or lack thereof––in front of everyone. She said that you said I’d be happy to help her.”
There’s a second of silence as the blood drains from her face. “I didn’t mean you’d be happy to help like that. I just said if she needed anything, you’d be there to…help.”
“Well, you and her have very different definitions of what the word help means; I’ll tell you that much. It was hands down the most embarrassing experience of my entire life, and that includes the day I started my period in gym class.”
She grimaces. “I’m so sorry. I seriously didn’t mean to put you in that position. I assume it didn’t go so great?”
“Not really, no. She got in my head. Actually, I’m pretty sure she got in both our heads. By the end of everything, I was a total mess and ditched Gage to come talk with you.”
“Why did you ditch Gage?”
“Because I realized we want different things. He wants egg-free brownie batter, and I want legit brownies.”
“Huh?”
I wave her off. “Nevermind. Basically, I realized that I do want to try for a real relationship, but I know that isn’t what he’s looking for.”
“Then why was he wearing a red pin?”
“Because I told him I wanted to keep things casual too.”
“Red pins aren’t for casual trysts, Nora.” The disapproval in her voice makes my hackles rise.
“I know!” I seethe. “But I wanted you off my back, and now, the stupid eclipse from hell is tomorrow, and I have no idea what to do about it, or if I even believe in the stupid thing. I took myself off the market with a guy who doesn’t want anything other than a roll in the sack. Which leaves me questioning if I might want more than that even though we set up the arrangement with very specific guidelines that I now want to break. Which is ridiculous, by the way. We’re terrible for each other. You’re the one that said never date a Leo––”
“I thought he was a Cancer?”
I groan. “Nope. Just another little tally in the cons section of why
