His words trail off as my heart drops into my stomach, and the familiar sensation of a weight crushing my chest begins to overwhelm me … shit shit shit, it’s too early for this, especially today. I hang up the phone without thinking and quickly power it off. Focusing on my breaths to try and ground myself, I count; in 1, 2, 3 — hold, out 1, 2, 3, 4. People run out of phone battery all the time, right? I’ll turn my phone back on in an hour or so once I have had a coffee and a shower, then call him back. Yes, perfect plan Kins.

My breathing begins to slow once again and the weight crushing my chest disappears. I successfully calmed myself before the anxiety attack set in — winning. They don’t happen as often as they once did, but when they do I tend to spiral fast, so being able to snap out of it is a bonus in itself.

My hands twist my hair up into a messy bun whilst the smell of coffee drifts up the stairs. The comforting aroma makes me smile. It takes me a while to float back down to reality, remembering that I live alone, and I do not own any fancy appliances that brew your morning coffee at a designated hour. However, that would be handy.

I should probably be concerned, but if there is one thing I do know, it’s that the life of Kinsley Fallon isn’t black and white. I live somewhere in between and I’m unsure whether that keeps things interesting, or has sent me damn crazy. Climbing out of bed, I smile to myself because the aroma that has most definitely filled my entire apartment only means one thing … he’s here.

“I’m going to change the locks this week!” I call out to him, as I make my way downstairs. Lie. A little something I tell myself to keep him at arm’s length, but deep down, I know I crave these moments. I eagerly await his visits. The rose colour staining my cheeks betrays me every time.

“Oh, you wanna hide from me?” Tanner says as he grabs me from behind and presses kisses to my neck. “We can play if you want,” he whispers. The warmth of his words on my skin causes me to clench my thighs together. I struggle to have any self-control around him.

Playfully, I push him away and pick up my coffee from the island bench. I need a caffeine fix before I deal with this moody man-child. A moment to remind myself that I shouldn’t let him get too close. Is it so bad that I like to play hard to get? I enjoy the chase. Well, him chasing me. But only in the metaphorical sense, of course — not like through the woods or anything, I’ll stick to reading about that in my books.