The kisses continued, deeper and more thorough. Leo took his time, moving over her mouth slowly. He savored her like he might his delicious food, kissing her with gusto, with assurance, and without compunction. His noticeable enthusiasm made her forget all her panic, all her reservations, and she found herself wrapping her arms around him to hang on as she lost her balance and her common sense.

The loud creak of the rusty back gate made them jump apart.

Tessa, dazed, pressed her lips together and struggled to get her weakened legs to hold her upright as Leo broke away and faced the gate, standing protectively in front of her. Someone was struggling with the rusty latch and cursing…someone who was crying.

Juliet.

Leo got to her first, unhooked the creaky latch, and opened the gate, steadying her by the elbow as he steered her toward Tessa. Cosette, who had padded out of the pachysandra to greet her, sensed something was off and bolted back into the brush.

“I’m so sorry,” Juliet said, taking in the set table and the romantic setting. “I’m interrupting. I—”

“We were just having dinner.” Tessa glanced at Leo, who nodded. She ran a hand along her lips, which were still tingling from his kisses. Yikes. What just happened?

As soon as she reached Tessa, Juliet’s face screwed up in pain. “Jax broke up with me,” she blurted. “For good.” She burst into tears again.

Thank goodness was Tessa’s first thought as she took her sobbing sister in her arms. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. Jax was a jerk, but she was still heartbroken for her. Tessa comforted her sister, but she couldn’t seem to stop the breathless, disoriented feeling that made her feel like she’d just stepped off a spinning amusement park ride.

Which was unlike anything she’d ever felt before with Sam.

Juliet dabbed at her eyes. “I’m ruining your evening. I tried your phone, but you didn’t answer, so I thought it would be okay—”

“It’s always okay,” Leo interrupted. He sent Tessa a look that said You take it from here. “There’s plenty of pasta left if you’re, um, hungry, and I… I’ll just clean up.” He gave Tessa a little nod. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

She mouthed thank you as she ushered her sister onto the glider. “Are you hungry?” She got a head shake and a sob. At the back door, Leo handed over a box of Kleenex that Tessa offered to her sister. “What happened?”