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  Too soon, she pulled away. Her lips were wet and swollen as she looked up at me. She seemed just as startled by the kiss as I was.

  That was when I realized it was fear. Fear was the one thing missing.

  “Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” I whispered, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb.

  She smiled shyly, glancing down at her feet. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why not?”

  She laughed and met my gaze. “Well, it’s been a year since I’ve seen you. I’m sure you’re probably dating someone.”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Fucking someone super hot?”

  I chuckled and shook my head again before taking a step back, my gaze raking down the front of her. “No, not yet.”

  She grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes.

  “Are you hungry?” I tilted my head toward the waiting car beside us.

  She glanced at it, her green eyes bright. “Sure.”

  Penelope

  It was surreal, sitting in the back of that Mercedes with Brandon beside me. It was almost as if no time had passed between us even though it felt like I’d known him in another life. So much had happened since the last time I’d seen Brandon. So much had changed.

  I couldn’t help but stare at him, my eyes sweeping over every inch of his body. It seemed every part brought back a memory of our time together. I could feel him staring at me, too, both of us becoming reacquainted with a person that had once been so familiar.

  “So, how have you been?” he asked.

  I lifted my eyes to his gorgeous blue ones and felt my lips tugging into another smile. Brandon was even more beautiful now than before. Something was different about him. He seemed lighter.

  “I’ve been great. I’m living in San Bernardino now. I got my nursing degree about two months ago, and I’ve been working out there ever since.”

  Brandon nodded approvingly and grinned at me. “That’s awesome. How was Ghana?”

  “It was unbelievable.”

  I glanced down at my lap and fidgeted with my purse.

  I hadn’t spoken to Brandon since I’d left him asleep in that hospital bed, and I’d spent the past year questioning if I’d made the right decision, wondering if he was angry with me for leaving that way.

  “I’m glad you went,” he told me.

  I met his gaze. “Me, too. I’m just sorry I left you the way that I did. I—”

  “Don’t be sorry,” he said, stopping me. “You did the right thing.”

  I nodded, and he reached into my lap to take my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine, and I closed my eyes for a second as memories of us flooded my mind. I wanted so badly to make more.

  “How’s Maddy?”

  “She’s great. She moved in with her aunt in Wilmington after the fire, and I think that was the best thing for her. I go to visit her every once in a while, and she seems happy. Her mom is getting her shit together, too.”

  “Oh, good. I’m so happy to hear that.”

  “She asks about you.”

  “Really?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. She’s convinced I did something to mess things up between us.”

  Glancing down at his hands, I noticed LOVE was still there, but FEAR had faded under the burns on his skin.

  “I promised her I’d make it up to you someday.”

  “You promised?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.

  “I did.” Lifting my hand, he kissed my knuckles.

  I smiled, my body filling with a familiar heat. “Well…what are you waiting for?”

  The End

  To my readers—Thank you for giving my words a chance. Your love and support inspire me every day.

  To my family and friends—I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful support system cheering me on every step of the way. I could never do this without you. I love you.

  To my beta readers—Kristine Dillon, Cindy Crowley, Mandy Arthur, Kelli Jean, Pam Godwin, and Jay McLean—Thank you for making the time and taking the effort to help me turn my manuscript into a novel. Your help and advice are invaluable.

  To my editor—Jovana Shirley at Unforeseen Editing—Thank you for being amazingly good at what you do and for always being so understanding and helpful. I’m truly lucky to have you in my corner.

  To my cover designer—Angela Fields—Thank you for sharing your talent with me and for always giving me beautiful covers.

  To Team Unstoppabel—Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on, my sounding board, and my friends.

  To my Kick-Ass Crew—Thank you for hanging out with me every day and for keeping me excited and inspired.

  To my fellow authors and friends—This indie author world would be impossible to navigate without you. I’ve been incredibly lucky to find so many supportive authors to help me on my journey. Thank you for your support, advice, and inspiration.

  E.M. Abel was born and raised a Marine Corps brat. She spent a large portion of her life moving and living in her mother’s home country, Japan. As a result, she gained independence and a unique perspective on the world.

  The youngest of three girls, E.M. spent a lot of time alone in her room writing or sketching in her journals and dreaming up stories. Growing up, she wrote poems, short stories, and articles for her high school newspaper. She also fell in love with art and discovered her desire for self-expression.

  Now a Navy wife with two small children of her own, E.M. still loves being creative and, most of all, translating her stories into novels. Now referred to as E or Em by her friends and readers, she can often be found jamming out to music with her headphones on, getting tattooed in a chair, or cooking dinner for her kids and attending gymnastics practice. No matter what she’s doing in her life, she’s always sure to do it her way.