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“That’s not what I’m looking for.” I took her face in my hands. “I don’t know if you feel it like I do, but I’m already getting twisted up about how badly I’m going to miss you.”

She blinked, then smiled. It was small, but it eased something in me that had been knotted up tight.

“I feel it too, Adam. I’m the one being left behind, after all. I already circled the day you’ll be back on my calendar.”

I groaned, letting my forehead fall against hers. “I still can’t believe I’m missing your birthday.”

She rolled her forehead back and forth on mine. “We’ll celebrate when you get back.”

“I already got you a present.” My thumbs stroked her silky-smooth cheeks. “You’re gonna love it.”

Her sweet breath blew across my mouth. “That’s not fair. You can’t tell me that then make me wait two months.”

She was trying to make light, but there was no disguising the tremble in her voice. I wasn’t the only one not looking forward to being apart. Given the distance she kept wedging between us, it was a relief.

“Gotta make sure you’re here when I get back, baby.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Her hands came to my chest, and she tipped her head back. “You know what we need? Shots. You can’t be maudlin when your throat is burning from tequila. It’s just not possible.”

Adelaide danced away from me, and I followed. She lined two shot glasses up and filled them to the brim. We clinked, and then it was down the hatch. She pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Oh god, I hate tequila.” She took half a step and tripped on her heels, falling against me with a giggle. “And I’m not even drunk yet.”

I took the opportunity to wrap her in a hug. She leaned into me with a sigh, curling her arms around me.

“I swear, I think I miss you already.” My hand dragged up her spine, into the back of her curls. “Let’s dance like we did the first night.”

I had her spinning again. Spinning and then swaying in my arms. We took shots in between songs, and Adelaide got giggly, which set me off too. It’d been a while since I’d made her giggle. There was something about her tonight, like a weight was lifting from her shoulders.

It’s because you’re leaving, numbnuts.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to believe that. That negative thought could go take a hike. This wasn’t one of the fifty relationships I’d screwed up by being me. We were solid because weweren’tin a relationship. That was what kept us on track and me from acting like a bumbling idiot.

Music slowed down. “Oceans” by Seafret started playing. Adelaide sighed and met my gaze with a closed-lipped smile.

I stroked her cheek with my knuckles. She sighed again. Something in my gut swirled like a rising sandstorm in the desert. It was uncomfortable, but there was no stopping it.

“We used to have dance parties when I was a kid.” Her words were almost as soft as her eyes.

“Saul danced?”

Her grin grew wider. “Mmmhmmm. He did. I used to catch my parents slow dancing all the time. We always had music on.”

“I’m still trying to picture Saul dancing.”

“My mom made him look good.” Her eyes were bright and shiny. “Isn’t it crazy? One day, you’re dancing, and then, you just…never dance again.”

I took her hand in mine and gave her a spin. My little music-box ballerina twirled and twirled until I yanked her back to my chest. She crashed into me, sputtering a breathless laugh.

I didn’t know how it happened. She was close, her breath warm on my lips, and then her mouth was on mine. For a second, purely out of instinct, I leaned into her, tilting her head to the side so I could get a deeper taste of her sweet.Fuck, was she sweet.

It was the whimper that escaped her throat that had me jerking back. “No. That can’t—”

My arms went limp. My hold on her fell away.

She stumbled back, covering her mouth with her hand. “Shit.” A strangled laugh bubbled up. “What was in that tequila?”

My mouth wasn’t working. A huge boulder had lodged in my throat, preventing anything from coming out. It was just as well. If I said anything, it’d probably be the wrong thing.


Tags: Julia Wolf Romance