Page 135 of Nutmeg + Mistletoe
I move before I think, pulling her mouth to mine like I’ve been drowning and she’s air.
Her taste is heat and ache and punishment all at once. My tongue finds hers, and it’s not a kiss—it’s a yield. Succumb.
My chest aches with the force of it, and I swear a sound almost breaks free from me when she pulls away to look at her phone.
I didn’t even feel it vibrate but I catch the shift in her expression as she looks back up at me. “It’s Marlow. She needs me.”
Shit.
She presses the button to open the door. I force myself to step back.
Step aside.
“Grant, I’m sorry for tonight.”
Her voice is soft, shaky.
“I don’t even know what’s gotten into me. That’s the thing when it comes to you—I don’t know who I am right now. Idon’t know what I need from you. I honestly don’t. I’m a mess of confusion and secrets, and every time I’m near you, I get reckless. Careless.”
My chest tightens, because she’s not wrong—I’ve seen it in her eyes, the way she comes apart the second we’re close. And still, hearing her say it out loud feels like a blow.
Her gaze flicks to mine then, sharp and vulnerable all at once. “So while every single part of me is screaming for you to come closer…to stay close…I think I need you to…try harder.”
One tear escapes before she can stop it.
“Please.”
I nod once, tight, and let the elevator close between us.
And then she’s gone again. Just as my stomach lets out a murderous rumble.
Chapter thirty-nine
Cameras & Chemistry
Marlow
Declan and I have been…becomingacquainted. He’s gone all in on taking care of me—cooking, forcing me to sleep, stocking the house and office with actual vegetables—and I’ve stopped pretending I’m not falling for my fake husband.
It’s just after 10 p.m. on Sunday when my phone lights up with an unknown number. Probably a player or someone in the front office.
“Marlow Mills?” I answer.
“Marlow! Chelsea Raymond with SightUnseen. So glad I caught you before it was too late.”
My heart kicks. “Chelsea! Hi! What are you doing calling? I mean, how are you?”
She giggles. “I keep odd hours, so I forget normal people stop taking calls by now. But I wanted to see if you’d be up for a visit from the crew tomorrow?”
“Um… tomorrow? So soon?”
“They’re called pop-up visits for a reason!”
“Right,” I say, stalling, twisting the hem of my sweatshirt between my fingers. “I just need to make sure Declan will be in town—he is a traveling athlete and all.”
“Good idea! I mean, sure, we could just meet with you, but it would be great to see your chemistry in person! I’ve seen the tapes from your time in the pods and, let’s just say, you two are the couple we are all rooting for!”
I blink, preparing to full on lose my shit. “There’s…footage? From the pods? Has any of it aired?”
