Chapter 97 A Kiss Just Out of Reach

Chapter 97 A Kiss Just Out of Reach

Chloe's POV

I tilted my head curiously. "What's even funnier?"

Lucas flipped the meat on the grill. His tone was casual. "One time I came back to the dorm drunk and completely blacked out."

"Woke up the next morning and found this thing made of mud sitting right next to my pillow. All lopsided and ugly."

"Wait, what?" I was instantly hooked.

"My roommate told me I randomly woke up at three in the morning. Ran down to the flower bed outside the dorm. Dug up a chunk of mud. Brought it back to the room."

I stared at him. I couldn't even picture it.

"And then I shaped it into a little block. Took a couple bites out of it like it was chocolate."

"No way. You're making that up!" I shot back immediately.

"I'm serious." Lucas was barely holding back a smile. "My roommate took a photo the next day. Sent it to the whole team group chat. I had mud smeared at the corner of my mouth, looking completely satisfied with myself."

I froze for a second. Then the image just appeared in my head on its own.

Lucas — serious, composed, detective Lucas — sitting on his dorm bed in the middle of the night. Dumbly chewing on mud.

I burst out laughing. I couldn't stop. I was laughing so hard tears started to form in my eyes.

"You actually… ate mud!" I managed to get out between laughs.

"Just two bites," he corrected me. Completely straight-faced.

"But it was still mud!"

It took me a while to calm down. I raised my hand and wiped the corners of my eyes.

When I looked up, Lucas was standing by the grill. He was watching me.

The warm yellow glow of the fire settled in his eyes. Soft and burning at the same time.

He just stood there quietly. Watching me laugh. His expression was so gentle it was almost undone.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Lucas." I opened my arms. I reached out toward him.

He stayed where he was. He didn't move.

"Come here." The alcohol had made me unusually straightforward. My voice came out soft and a little fuzzy. "I love the way you hold me. It makes me feel so safe."

He still didn't move. He just kept looking at me. Steady and still.

The firelight cast shifting shadows across his face. I couldn't quite read his expression.

I pouted a little. I stretched my arms out wider.

"Why won't you hug me?" I tilted my head at him, with a hint of a pout in my voice. "Aren't I the most adorable princess? Don't I deserve at least one hug?"

Lucas swallowed hard.

The next second, he walked straight toward me. He scooped me right up out of the chair. He pulled me tight against him.

My feet left the ground.

His chest was warm—almost hot. His heart was pounding fast. Through the thin fabric, I could feel every beat of it. Quick and urgent.

He held me tight. His chin rested gently on top of my head.

I wrapped my arms around his waist. I buried my face in his chest.

Clean pine. A faint trace of smoke. And that warmth that was just his. A warmth I couldn't get enough of. It wrapped all around me.

It felt so good.

Without thinking, I tilted my head up slightly. At the same moment, he lowered his head toward me.

Our breaths blurred into each other. Our lips were barely a heartbeat away from meeting.

His nose was almost touching mine.

We were so close I could see clearly everything he'd been holding back in his eyes.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst.

I wanted to kiss him so badly.

Without thinking, I rose onto my toes and leaned in.

Right then, a raindrop hit my cheek out of nowhere.

Then a second. A third.

Rain came crashing down without any warning. Heavy and fast.

The coals below sizzled and went mostly dark. White smoke curled up into the air.

The storm hit hard and sudden.

It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. I snapped back to reality in an instant.

My heart was still pounding loudly in my ears. Not from the alcohol. From the sudden realization of what I'd almost just done.

There I was. Still on my toes in the rain. Both hands gripping his collar. My lips inches from his.

Oh God.

I pushed against his chest. I stumbled back two steps.

The rain blurred everything in front of me. I couldn't see his face clearly. I could only hear my own quick, unsteady breathing.

"Inside!" Lucas grabbed my wrist right away. He pulled me up onto the porch at a fast walk.

I was soaked through. I stood there blankly under the eaves. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist.

Rain hammered down on the roof. Loud and relentless. Neither of us said a word.

He let go of my wrist first. Then he turned to steady the grill that was nearly getting knocked over by the wind. He quickly moved everything inside—plates, seasonings, all of it.

I stood there frozen. My wet hair was dripping. My face was burning. I didn't dare look at him.

That moment—charged and dangerous—was stuck in my head. It wouldn't let go.

I had almost kissed him. Almost.

"Go change." Lucas's voice was slightly rough after he'd brought everything in. "Don't want you catching a cold."

"Yeah. Okay."

I kept my head down. I walked past him quickly. I escaped to my room.

That night, we both silently agreed not to bring up what had almost happened on the porch in the rain.

I changed into soft pajamas. I pulled the covers around me. Outside, the rain fell all night long. But inside the cabin it was warm and quiet.

I'd been trying to stay awake. But I was out cold before I knew it.

When I opened my eyes again, it was fully light outside.

I stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds. Then I sat up and grabbed my phone from the nightstand.

11:47.

I'd slept almost to noon.

I ran a hand through my messy hair. I got up and washed my face. When I opened my bedroom door, the rich smell of butter and tomato-braised meat hit me immediately.

Theodosia was standing at the stove in her apron. She was gently stirring a pot of thick soup. When she saw me come out, she gave me a little wave.

"Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty."

My ears grew warm. "Sorry, I slept way too late," I said quietly.

"Oh, please. A beautiful girl deserves to sleep in." She lifted the lid. A cloud of steam rose up. "Lucas headed down the mountain at dawn to return the rented grill."

"Before he left, he specifically told me not to wake you up."

I had just pulled out a chair. I stopped.

The second I heard Lucas's name, last night's almost-kiss flashed right back into my mind. My face went hot all over again.

Theodosia set down the wooden spoon. She glanced back at me. The smile in her eyes deepened.

"Oh, sweetheart. I know that look."

"What look?" I denied it on instinct.

"The look of someone who can't hide what they're feeling." She set the plates out calmly. Her tone was light and teasing. "When I fell for my husband, I had that exact same face every single day."

"It's not like that," I said quickly. "I don't have feelings for him. I just… really admire Mr. White. That's all."

Theodosia nodded slowly. She wore the expression of someone who knows everything but isn't going to say it. "Sure, sure. Admire. Got it."

I picked up my glass and took a long swallow of water. I deliberately steered my attention somewhere else. I didn't want to keep talking about this.

Just then, I heard clear footsteps outside the door. My whole back went rigid.

The door swung open. Lucas walked in.

He looked up. He saw me standing by the table. He visibly paused—his steps faltering, whatever he'd been about to do forgotten.

I froze too. The room went oddly quiet.

Theodosia looked at me. Then at Lucas. Then she picked up the soup pot with great thoughtfulness.

"I'm going to the backyard to grab some rosemary," she announced. She walked right out, pulling the kitchen door halfway shut behind her.

Just the two of us left in the small space.

He set the paper bag he was carrying down on the table. He broke the silence. "You're up."

"Yeah, just a little while ago." I nodded. I kept my voice low.

Two more seconds of quiet.

He took a step closer. Like he was about to say something. I happened to look up at the same moment.

"About last night—"

"About what happened last night—"

We both started talking at the same time. Then we both stopped at the same time. The air between us turned strange and awkward all at once.