“I do. At first, I had my doubts. I think everyone did. But it’s all good now. The kids like me.”
“Or maybe they’re just afraid of you and are scared to speak up. You can be very intimidating.”
I chuckle. “Really?” I tease. “Never heard that before.”
“Your cockiness will be your downfall one day,” she mutters.
I nudge her with my hip. “If you still read romance novels, you don’t get to complain about how cocky I am.” She opens her mouth, but I shut her down before she can argue. “I remember the type of characters you liked. The cocky hero was definitely in the top five.”
She smiles openly. “More like top three.”
Encouraged by the easy air between us, I use the moment to find out more about this new Mia.
“Do you still illustrate for authors?” I remove the pancakes from the pan and stack them on a plate.
She adds batter to the pan, and as it sizzles, she assesses me. “Of course. I don’t take on as many projects as I used to, but it brings me joy, so I don’t think I’ll ever give up on it.”
“My favorite was the couple standing on the frozen lake. He was blond, and her hair was dark…” I twist my lips, as if I’m only just now remembering the image, as if it isn’t seared into my brain. “I think it was a lot like yours.”
In truth, that piece rewired my brain. She drew me and her on this very lake. She can deny it all she wants, but I know I’m right.
The corners of her mouth tremble, and a beautiful smile blooms on her lips. “I’m sorry about that. That one was for one of my long-term authors, and it wasn’t until I sent her the proof that I realized it was us.”
My chest expands. “That’s okay,” I say, playing it cool. “I really loved it. Not only because it was us, but because your work is impeccable.”
Turning back to the stove, she murmurs, “You’re such a kiss ass.”
Smiling, I lean in close and inhale the scent of her shampoo. When I pull back and dare to look at her, I know I’m a goner. On instinct, my hand makes its way to her cheek, tilting her face up to me. Pulled by the invisible thread that’s kept us connected all these years, I inch closer. I can feel her breath on my face when the sound of footsteps has us jumping apart.
With a frustrated sigh, I flip the pancakes then step back and let her do her thing.
All day,I’ve been replaying that moment in the kitchen. While we ate, played board games, and broke outMortal Kombat, I was lost in the memory of being so close to Mia again. And fuck, if I’m not desperate to kiss her.
In the early evening, when the sun is still shining but the heat has let up, I slip into the hot tub. Matt and Luna join me next, then Chiara. I can’t help but glance at the door every minute or two, waiting for her to show up. But when she finally steps outside in a black bikini, I really want to send her back into the house. There’s no way I can focus on anything else with her dressed like sin.
When she slides between Chiara and me, her knee brushes mine. The touch is casual, fleeting, yet it brings my whole body to life. I’m desperate for more. I haven’t felt this way in years, not since my last moment with her, before I fucked up and destroyed our relationship.
When Miles slides in on Chiara’s other side, we all shift to make room. It’s crowded now, and with Mia’s leg pressed against mine, I have to will my dick to stand down. She wiggles a little, getting comfortable, and when she presses a hand to my thigh to steady herself, my heart hammers in my chest, making it hard to hear what my friends are saying.
“It’s too hot in here,” Mia mutters after a while. Cheeks flushed, she climbs out, grabs a towel, and heads down the stairs to the private deck. I give her a minute then get up and follow her. No one stops me; no one says anything. Only Miles catches my eye and winks.
I find her by the railing, a towel wrapped around her body, breathing in the steadily cooling night air.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah.” She smiles at me softly. “Just needed a little breather.”
As I step up to the railing, careful not to touch her, the air between us is charged. This close, I can’t resist drinking her in. Though she’s looking out over the forest, her pulse flutters wildly in her neck, like her heart is racing as violently as mine is.
Mia turns to face me, her eyes a midnight blue in the fading light.
I swallow thickly, my nerve endings lighting up as she scrutinizes me. Her eyes flicker to my mouth, and her lips part. Her chest is rising and falling rapidly.
She exhales a shaky breath. “You need to stop looking at me like that.”
I smirk. “Like what?”
She reaches up, her fingers slipping into my damp hair, nails scraping against my scalp.
