If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,111

into those earnest, kind eyes and smiled. “I’m not sure yet, but when I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”

He nodded. “Did I already tell you I’m glad you came back this summer?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You did.”

He let go of her hand, and she could feel a weight in the air between them. It was too heavy—if she wasn’t careful, she would buckle underneath it.

Without thinking, she took her paintbrush and poked him in the chest with it, leaving a brown mark on his faded-red T-shirt.

She laughed, then hopped up, as if that could protect her from his impending revenge.

Hollis flinched, then laughed, eyes wide. He jumped to his feet and grabbed a paint roller from a bucket of purple paint, stretching it out toward her and rolling a trail of purple right down her side.

She dunked her brush in the bucket again and came out with another threatening glob. He ran to the other side of the stage and she followed him, wielding her brush like a sword.

When she lunged for him, he grabbed her arm, pulling her closer, focused on disarming her of her weapon. But one moment of nearness and the heaviness in the air returned. A brief laugh escaped without her permission and she found herself pressed against him, arm limp and eyes fixed on his.

He stared down at her, the lazy smile on his face melting.

Use caution! Protect your heart!

The words rang like an alarm in her mind, but she swatted them away. She didn’t want to be practical. Just for a moment, she wanted to get lost in the scent of him. She wanted to embrace the falling.

“Emily.” He whispered her name, his voice husky.

Her empty hand found its way to his back, taut with muscles she didn’t even know existed. She let it rest there, still holding on to his gaze and aware that his grasp on her arm had gone soft.

Her heart sputtered as Hollis searched her eyes for permission she was absolutely certain she gave.

Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.

As if he heard her silent plea, he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer until their lips met. Unlike their first kiss, Hollis wasn’t tentative or shy, and he didn’t taste like cherry Popsicles.

Emily sank into him, dropping the paintbrush so she could wrap both arms around his muscled torso. His kiss made her toes curl, made every worry she’d been holding on to disappear. Heck, for a minute, it even made her forget her own name.

His lips moved steadily over hers and she inhaled every second of him, greedy for more.

Finally she pulled away, expecting the feeling of dread to follow—but it didn’t. She didn’t regret kissing him. She didn’t regret sharing the deepest parts of herself with him, despite the warning bells she’d shoved aside.

“Was that okay?” His eyes studied her.

Wordless, she nodded.

“Good, because I’ve wanted to do that for weeks.”

“What took you so long?” She smiled, arms still wrapped around him.

“I promised Jolie we were just friends.” He looked at her. “But that’s not how I feel. At all.”

“Me neither,” she said.

“Does that scare you?”

“Maybe, but I think the scarier thing is imagining my life without you in it.”

He took her face in his hands and traced her cheekbones with his thumbs. “Don’t imagine that. It’ll never happen.”

She inhaled him as he kissed her again.

I love you. I love you. I love you. The words raced through her mind as she gave in to another kiss, drawing him closer. But she didn’t dare say them aloud.

He pulled away. “I have to talk to Jolie. I have to tell her about all of this.”

“Are you sure?” Emily asked.

“Yes,” he said. “And until then, we have to be friends.”

“You mean the kind of friends who don’t kiss?” She smiled up at him.

He took a step back, then laughed. “You’re going to make this impossible for me, aren’t you?”

“Depends on how long you wait to tell her.” She pressed her lips together, the taste of him still on her mouth. “I think you probably shouldn’t wait very long.”

He drew in a deep breath, hands up in front of him in mock surrender. “Go easy on me, Ackerman. I’ve got no willpower when it comes to you.”

She slid her hand up the side of his arm. He closed his eyes at her touch, then came toward her and with one swift movement drew her close for another mind-bending kiss.

She gave in to it immediately, letting herself relax in