Page 34 of The Quirky Vet

I snap back to reality and go, "Well?"

Muir's been way too quiet, even for him.

He smiles shyly and looks away. "It was good," he says quietly. "And I liked it. But…"

My chest constricts. "But what?"

He lets out a breath and faces me, his eyes a whirlpool of emotions I can't access. "It's not like I've received a magical answer from the universe."

"Oh. I see." I tilt my head. "Wait. Is that your way of saying you need to kiss me again?"

He shakes his head, biting back a grin. "You're an idiot. That's not what I'm saying."

"Really? That's too bad. Because for what it's worth, I'm open to it."

"Open to what?"

"More kisses."

That slight trace of a grin that was lingering on his lips vanishes. "You are?"

"Sure." I nudge his shoe with my foot. "We are married, after all."

"Be serious. For a moment. If you can."

Oh. He wants serious, does he?

All right, then. I'll give him serious.

I cup the sides of his face. "Ever since the bucks' night, I've been doing some thinking, and… And what you may or may not be feeling towards me might not be just a one-sided thing."

His blue eyes darken. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that there's no one in this world that I feel better with, and maybe I have deeper feelings for you than I realised."

"Oh."

His brows shoot up, then knit together as if he's trying to make sense of it all. He's shell-shocked.

That's understandable. It's taken me by surprise, too.

I let go of his face, giving him some breathing room, but keep a close eye on him. "Should I have invoked the non-freak-out clause before saying that?"

"I…I'm not freaking out."

"Then why's your forehead creased like you've been pulling ticks off sheep for hours?"

"It is not," he says, de-wrinklifying his forehead as he does. "I'm just processing. And you, better than anyone else, know how long that takes me."

"Yeah." My voice comes out low and raspy. "I do know better than anyone else."

His eyes meet mine, and there's something new in the air between us. It's not the weird awkwardness of the past few weeks. It's something different, something that feels like…like…excitement mixed with possibility.

I'm not sure, though.

Luckily for me, I have a way of finding out that's not too far out of reach.

I curl my hand around the back of Muir's neck and bring my lips to barely a centimetre away from his. "Up for another kiss?"