“It just happened.”

Did it?

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve made trouble for you and Lisa,” I said. “I really am.” The voice inside me was quiet. Was that the truth?

“I know,” she said. She was a silhouette outlined by the distant streetlights, and I wished I could see the expression on her face.

“I meant it when I said I’m not trying to mess that up for you,” I said. “I know you love her, and you have a life here, and I’m leaving in less than a month, and all I want is—I don’t want to lose you. I—I like you.” I felt possessed by a sudden, clear-minded sincerity. A fierce urge to reveal myself. “You made me realize something I never knew. I’m so grateful for that.”

She didn’t speak for a long moment. Instantly I was mortified. I had told her I liked her, as if I were thirteen.

And then she said, “I like you, too.” There was a smile in her voice.

I whispered, “Really?”

“Yes,” Steph said, but this time she didn’t sound happy. She let out a breath. “The thing is, Lisa and I—we’ve had our issues. I love her, but . . .”

She didn’t finish her sentence, and I could barely breathe. I wanted to touch her so badly.

“I didn’t plan any of this,” I said. My desire was overwhelming.

“Me either.”

I let myself reach for her. Her right hand was clenched on her thigh. I loosened her fingers, lacing them with mine. There was a moment where she resisted, and I wondered if this would be the end of it—and then she lifted her free hand and tucked my hair behind my ear. Her touch sent tingles over my scalp. In the quiet of the truck cab, I thought I could hear the racing of my own pulse. The rustle of fabric as she shifted in her seat, leaning toward me. The hitch in her breath, so close I could feel it on my face.

And then we were kissing.

It was different this time. After that first taste, there had been time to develop an appetite. Now I was starved for her. We were separated from each other by the shape of the truck’s bucket seats and the gear shift, jutting up unwelcome between us. It was uncomfortable and made for awkward maneuvering, but it seemed a tiny price to pay for this time alone in the dark with her.

Chapter 32

I woke up with the memory of Steph imprinted on my body in the way I ached for her. Every single nerve buzzed with new awareness.

I met her on Tuesday after work. I climbed into her truck and she drove us across Sir Francis Drake to Starbucks, where we got iced coffees. Then we drove around to the back of the shopping center and parked by the loading docks.