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Back First Comes Love Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

When I wake up still wrapped in his arms, I experience a brief moment of pure ecstasy. Then a sheer terror engulfs me, making my chest clench under the pressure of its tendrils. I’m terrified that I’m flying so high I wouldn’t survive a fall. Terrified, because I realize I’ve fallen hard for a man I barely know. A man whose ideas on the future I ignore. Is he looking for a relationship? Does he want to get married? To have kids?

Okay, maybe I’m jumping the gun a little here. But I can’t get rid of the cloud of doubts circling my head even if nothing about last night feels like a mistake.

That’s why I sneak out of bed before he wakes up. I’m not sure he would’ve wanted to talk right away, but I’m too scared of learning the answers to all my questions. All I need now is to shower and clear my head first; we’ll have plenty of time to talk later. Now, I just want to be happy and cherish what happened.

Nineteen

Do You Hear What I Hear?

There’s a long-standing Moore tradition I need to submit to on the day after Christmas. Since we were old enough to be safely left alone in the kitchen, Julia and I have been in charge of lunch. With us busy preparing the food, our parents can spend the morning visiting their neighbors to exchange late best wishes. The tradition originated mainly to give Mom a rest after the cooking marathon of the previous day, but also because, since we’re basically rearranging scraps, it’s impossible even for the two of us to screw up the meal.

Julia has been uncharacteristically quiet, but I don’t mind. I’m too tired for conversation. Even if I got up super late, I’m still experiencing the after-effects of a sleepless night. And I might be unable to stop smiling, but the bags under my eyes are blossoming. I hope we didn’t make too much noise. What if my parents heard us?

Another yawn turns to a half-smile as a memory from last night plays in my head.

Enough, Nikki.

Right, I need to concentrate on the practical tasks and stop reliving every second of my night with Diego. Not that what I’m doing requires any extent of brainpower. Right now I’m busy revamping the leftover coleslaw by adding more sauce and transferring it into a serving bowl. I’m sprinkling a generous amount of sauce over the vegetables when Julia bangs a metal spoon on a platter, making me jump.

I turn toward her. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. It’s only the third time I’ve asked you to pass me a wooden spoon.”

Someone is cranky today. I grab the biggest spoon from the utensil jar on my side of the kitchen island and hand it over. “This one okay?”