Chapter 3

“I shouldn’t.” Matilda hesitated, her mouth twisting. “Oh, what the hell…”

Whipping off her damp towel, she slid under. Naked, she nestled close and Anna nuzzled against her.

“Goodness, I’m going to miss you,” Anna whispered.

Burrowing deeper into the duvet, she draped an arm over Matilda’s stomach and rested her head on her chest. The thump, thump of Matilda’s heart was such a comforting sound—steady, constant, intimate. She could have listened to it all day, but Matilda fidgeted.

“Time?” Matilda asked. “Actually, never mind,” she said when Anna, groaning, raised her wrist. “Time can wait.”

Shuffling around, she cupped Anna’s face in her palms and kissed her lips. It was a gentle kiss, like the brush of butterfly wings, and followed by a cavalcade of softly nibbling kisses that danced over Anna’s skin, tickling delightfully. Anna moaned and arched her back but, uneasy, she protested.

“Mattie…No.” She wriggled from Matilda’s grasp. “Time won’t wait, you need—”