I chuckle, leaning into the hand on my arm and looking up at him affectionately.
“Pinky promise.”
“Good.”
We reach my car far too quickly, and I almost pout at the thought of the night ending already. I want to spend so much more time with Bo, but I’ll have other chances now that I’m back in town.
I turn my back to my car, debating stealing another hug from him. He’s right in front of me, barely half a foot between us. When I look up into his eyes, the air around us shifts, feeling charged in a way it didn’t a second ago.
I glance between his eyes and his lips, unable to stop myself from fantasizing like I always do. He’s still so close to me, and he hasn’t pulled his hand back this whole time. Maybe I’m overthinking things, but I can’t help it when he’s close enoughfor me to smell the woodsy scent of his cologne and see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes.
He licks his lips, and my breath catches in my throat. Then he steps back, finally dropping his hand from my arm.
It feels cold where he’d been touching.
Guess I was overthinking it after all. I laugh softly under my breath, shaking my head at my own hopelessness. I won’t ever get over Bo, but it’s something I’ll have to deal with.
“It was really good to see you, Bo,” I say softly.
I look down while rooting through my purse in search of my keys. Leaving is always bittersweet. Bo is my best friend, just like he always has been.
Just like he always will be.
“I missed you, Kenz.” His voice is so quiet I almost miss it, and when I meet his eyes, something I don’t recognize lies there. “It’s been too long.”
“Well, I’m back in town for good,” I remind him. “I’ll be on the normal school schedule, so we should have plenty of time to catch up, if you want.”
“Of course I do,” he says, sounding genuinely hurt that I’d think he didn’t want to hang out. “All I’ve got is work. I’ll always make time for you.”
How am Inotsupposed to fall for him when he says things like that?
“Text me, then. We’ll get together sometime.”
It’s a disappointment when my fingers bump into my keys, but I don’t want to linger longer and bother everyone. It’s still cold out, although the harsh snap of winter has faded for the most part. Bo’s still in a tank top and an unbuttoned flannel, and I’m sure he’s chilly.
“Yeah. Soon, okay? Don’t make me miss you.”
“Soon,” I promise.
I pull my keys out of my bag with a smile, but before I can say goodbye, Bo’s hand is on my arm again. His fingers wrap around my elbow, and then he steps forward, and I gasp when my back meets the cold of my car.
Then his lips are on mine.
I’m back on the Montgomery Ranch after years of being away, seeing Bo for the first time since I left for college.
And Bo Montgomery iskissing me.
As soon as I get over the shock, my mind goes blank from the pure sensation of it. One of his hands is on my arm, the other resting softly on my waist. His lips move against mine, slow and sensual and adoring. His breaths come shakily out through his nose, and his heart is pounding in his chest, so hard that I can feel it beneath my palm. I don’t know when I tangled my fingers in the collar of his flannel.
This can’t be real.
Bo’s hand tightens on my waist, his body firm and pressed up against me from collar to knee.
Thiscannotbe real.
My head spins from shock and lack of oxygen by the time he pulls back. The soft, uncertain smile on his face nearly knocks me to the ground. I blink at him, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. He just stands there, still pressed against me, still holding me. All I can do is laugh.
“Oh, thank God.” Bo dissolves into chuckles along with me, dropping his head down onto my shoulder and breathing out a massive sigh of relief. “I thought you were mad at me.”
