Page 105 of Even Ground

“I feel like I’ve waited forever to do that.”

“I never thought you’d do that again.”

He pulls away. “The problem is that I want to do it all the time.”

“And how is that a problem?” I raise my hands to cup his face. “Sounds good to me.”

Reece kisses me on the nose. “Sounds good to me too, but I just had to fly all this way to do it.”

I fight a smile and lose. “Sounds like a you problem rather than a me problem.”

He laughs, and before I can say anything else, his mouth’s on mine again.

I’ll have to be a smart arse more often.

24

Reece

“Now what?”

Pania draws in a deep breath. “Now we watch TV and then get some sleep. That’s how exciting my life is.”

“But I’m here.” I hold up my palms.

“And I still have a class tomorrow. It’s Thursday today.” She leans forward and picks up the remote. “But it’s also the last class of the year before we break for the holidays.” Flicking on the television, she pushes some buttons to get the right network and drops the remote again. “How long are you staying for?”

You’ve got two weeks. Sara’s words echo in my ears.

“A couple of weeks. I’ve got no other plans.”

She smiles. “Cool. Hope you’re happy to dive into the deep end and meet my mum.”

“Your mom?”

Pania nods, turning back to look at the TV. “I was planning to drive to Whakatane on Saturday to spend the holidays with my family.”

Woah. I gulp. “Sure. What the hell.”

She laughs. “Are you really ready for that?”

“Do I have much of a choice?” I wrap my arms around her as she snuggles up against me.

“No.”

I laugh, kissing her temple. “I guess I’m joining your family for the holidays, then.”

“They won’t bite.” She wrinkles her nose. “Well, Mum might. She thinks you look charming. Not that she knows the real you.”

I hold out my hands. “I like your mother already.”

“She’ll love you.” Pania nuzzles my neck.

“So …”

She raises her head. “So …?”

“What do we do about sleeping arrangements, if you’re so intent on going to sleep?”