Page 70 of Love for a Lifetime

His entire body lit on fire when she made contact with his skin. His chest expanded, his hands tingled with the need to touch her. It took all of his willpower not to groan and lean into her delicate palm.

Her gaze traveled lazily over his features as her thumb traced the edge of his jaw. “You’re a good man. I never doubt that.”

“I’ll be anything for you,” Dawson said, leaning in and lowering his voice. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”

Olivia’s eyes widened, and he realized what he’d said. There he went again, talking faster than his brain could filter. The truth he’d laid out on the line was a little bold, but it wasn’t wrong. He was honest, and hiding anything from Olivia didn’t sit well with him.

Her head tilted slightly to the side, and her brows pulled together. “You don’t have to be anything for me.”

The truth he’d been holding back was taut, but he was tired of pushing his feelings for her back like they needed to be hidden. “Olivia, I–”

“Don’t,” she said quickly, lifting a hand between them. “Don’t say anything.”

That spring inside him was ready to fly, and now that he’d made the decision to act, he didn’t want to hold back. “Why not?”

“Because… because I can’t…”

“You can’t? You can’t what?”

She fisted her hands at her chest, and her eyes narrowed in pleading. “I can’t say what you want me to say.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?”

What were they even talking about? He hadn’t even gotten the words out yet, and she was already telling him she couldn’t return his feelings?

“Both,” she said, dropping her hands to her sides in defeat.

Dawson took half a step forward and locked his gaze with hers. He wanted answers, and she was dancing around the truth just enough to give him hints. “Do you feel it even though you tell me you won’t say it?”

Olivia’s gaze bore into his as she contemplated her answer. He held his breath as her teeth pressed into her bottom lip.

“Come on, Liv. Do you feel it? Not what I feel for you. I’m talking about what you feel.”

Olivia opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. The words were right on the tip of her tongue. She had something big to say, and he had a feeling it wasn’t a flat-out “No.”

“Dawson!” Jacob shouted from the hallway.

“In here!” Dawson shouted back without breaking his eye contact with Olivia.

Two seconds later, Jacob was at the door. “Come see this. The seats for the Shelby came!”

“I’ll be there in just a sec,” Dawson said.

When Jacob disappeared as quickly as he’d appeared, Dawson handed Betsy over to Olivia. “Listen, I know you’re not in the same place I am, but I want to talk about…something. Anything. Chances, possibilities, the future? I don’t mean a define-the-relationship talk, but I want to know where things are going. Or not going.”

Man, it killed him to add that last part.

Olivia swept her hand over Betsy’s ears. “Okay. I’ll be home later this afternoon. Can you come by the house?”

Well, that progressed quickly. He’d expected “eventually” or a non-descriptive “sure.”

She wanted to talk tonight. Which meant she was ready to say something.

No big deal. Today would be the beginning or the end of his more-than-platonic relationship with Olivia.

Please don’t let it be the end before we even get started.

“Four okay?” he asked.

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