A Late Thaw by Anna Blaze

turned her back to him. “The whole town was talking about that stupid prom. It made Ma all nostalgic. She was going on and on about hers and how that was the night she knew my Dad was the one. It made me think about the future and that made me think about you. It was a real offer, Kiley. I guess it was a lame offer, badly done, but it was definitely a real one.”
    “Oh , God.” She held a shaky hand over her mouth and stared at him.
    “You had no idea how I felt about you?” He sighed, his anger fading like a teakettle running out of steam.
    She shook her head.
    “Then why did you stop talking to me? All that last summer you got distant and then when you did come home…you weren’t you. We weren’t us.”
    “It’s gonna sound really stupid.”
    He chuckled hoarsely and squeezed her shoulder. “Worse than me when I’m asking a pretty girl to the prom?”
    He tr ied to lighten the mood, but she broke into tears.
    “Hey, hey.” Cole pulled her into his arms.
    She clutched his shirt and dragged his mouth to hers.

Chapter Thirteen
    COLE PULLED AWAY. KILEY tried to follow, pressing her lips to his, unwilling to end the kiss.
    “Hey.” He rubbed her cheek. “I thought you wanted to talk this out first.”
    “I’ve been in love with you forever.” She shrugged. “That’s it. That’s my big, dark secret.”
    His chest rose and fell quickly as he processed her words. She’d said it. Finally. The words slipped out, all cool and smooth, only to leave her waiting breathlessly for a response.
    “That’s …that’s a good secret, Ki.” He held her chin, his callused thumb angling her face up toward his. “I—”
    “You don’t have to say it back ,” she inserted quickly, smiling as broadly as she could. Her skin was so brittle that her cheeks might crack. “I understand. I’m not going to get upset. I just thought I should explain why I acted so weird. It hurt. So, I avoided you. But I know you don’t feel—”
    He kissed her hard and fast. “Since when are you the expert on how I feel?”
    “I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want you to feel like you have to say—”
    “That I love you , too?”
    “Right.” Her heart stopped. Everything stopped.
    Cole brushed her hair away from her face. “Maybe I should just show you.” He kissed her again before her mind had a chance to twist the meaning of his declaration. His hands slid around her waist and under the hem of her shirt, kneading her lower back. He pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers. “I wanted to say it last night. So many times—nearly killed me.”
    “Oh!” She clutched his forearms. Was this what swooning felt like? Could she actually faint from happiness? She tried to take a deep breath, but even his scent was intoxicating.
    “I’m not good w ith words, Kiley. Not like you.”
    Her eyelids fluttered shut as he dropped kisses down the length of her neck. “You’re good at this. You’re good with your—”
    “Hands .”
    “ Umm-hmm. You are so good with your hands.” He also had a good heart, the best heart. She’d have told him if he hadn’t been making it so hard to speak. She managed to repeat “good hands” in a wistful tone.
    As if to demonstrate, Cole brought his palm up, cupping her breast.
    Giggling from both nerves and euphoria, Kiley pushed Cole away. “We can’t have …we can’t do this in your mother’s kitchen.”
    He pulled his shirt off and dropped it on the floor. “This is my kitchen, girly. It could be yours , too, if you married me.”
    “Married?” She held up her hands and stepped away.
    “Stop panicking, Ki. I know you’ve got to finish school first. I’m not expecting you to find a dress tomorrow. But, yeah, you’re gonna have to marry me.”
    “Have to?” She couldn’t help it. Even in the midst of the proposal she’d been hoping for since she was ten years old, everything in Kiley rebelled against being told what to do.
    He smirked and hooked his thumbs in