There was something telling in the blush of her cheeks, something undefinable in her eyes that was driving him wild. Wade knew then that he couldn’t go much longer without the feel of her lips against his. After everything they’d been through that night, he had almost convinced himself that he deserved it, that he was entitled to some small bit of happiness.

He reached out and took her by the waist, a hand on either side of her. She didn’t exactly pull away, but her back straightened and that look in her eyes changed to an imperious challenge.

Wade wanted to remember this moment, file away every detail in his mind as if it was the last thing he would ever experience. He had looked at her enough over the last few hours to have noticed smaller details. The strands of hair falling out of their careful arrangement to frame her face, the red lipstick that still managed to cling stubbornly to the bow of her mouth.

He leaned forward, her face tilted almost imperceptibly. That was all the encouragement he needed.