Page 21 of Love for a Lifetime

“I don’t need a date. I just said that to appease Anna,” Olivia said.

It was the truth. She really had no intention of asking a stranger to be her wedding date.

Dawson bit the inside of his cheek and kept his steely gaze locked on her. His blue eyes probed hers, searching for answers and finding none. “When are you going to give me a chance?”

A heavy grip tightened around her neck. Was he really calling her out? “I–I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anna is awesome. Everybody loves her. Sounds like you have a good chance of having a great time at the wedding.”

He pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. “I don’t mean with Anna. I mean–”

Dawson toppled forward and crashed into her with a loud oomph. His arms enveloped her, holding her close as they fell together. She clung to him, floating through the air until they both crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.

Her back struck the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of her lungs, but she tightened her hold on Dawson’s shoulders and gasped for air.

“Are you okay?” Dawson quickly asked. “Olivia, talk to me.”

He was spread out on top of her–thankfully without the bulk of his weight leaning on her–and she stayed latched onto his shoulders. One of his arms ran up her back and cradled her head while the other was planted on the ground beside her, half caging her in.

“I’m fine,” she said on another gasp. “I’m fine.”

Dawson jerked his head to the side. An adolescent goat bleated as he walked by.

“Hudson,” Dawson grunted.

The menacing goat was gone, but she was still clinging to Dawson’s immovable frame. Every inch of her body that was flush against his tingled with awareness. His powerful arm wrapped around her, rendering her almost weightless.

Her body and mind waged war as she hung in his embrace.

No, her two halves were in agreement. She should stay right here forever. Living here wouldn’t be so bad. It was safe, and the pounding of her heart had every synapse of her nerve endings firing on all cylinders.

But she had to let him go. She couldn’t let her feelings get out of hand or she’d lose more than one person she loved.

She unwrapped one arm and pressed her hand to his chest. The heart beating beneath her palm rushed in a rhythm that rivaled her own.

Lifting the arm that had caught the brunt of their fall, he brushed a hand over her hair as his gaze scanned over her face. His blue eyes were wide, burning dark like shadows had rolled over them. “Are you sure? You hit hard.”

The movement brought his whole body closer, and she struggled to form a coherent thought. There wasn’t even a hint of his usual lighthearted tone as his intense gaze bore into her.

“Liv, are you sure?” he asked again.

Not even a little. Being this close to Dawson sparked so many feelings she should have gone her entire life without experiencing.

The higher she soared, the harder she’d fall. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

“Yeah. I’m really okay.” She patted his chest and relaxed her body. His hold gently released her until her back rested on the straw and dirt.

“Hudson is officially sold. He’s headbutted his last behind,” Dawson said as he lifted his body from hers.

His absence left a cold void as he moved away. She missed the contact almost immediately. “Don’t make rash decisions. You know he’s just playing,” Olivia said as she sat up and started brushing straw from her arms and hair.

Dawson stood to his full height and offered her a hand. “It’s all fun and games until my queen gets hurt.”

Olivia took his hand, and he hauled her to her feet. She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m fine. We’re both fine. No blood, no foul.”

His gaze swept over her body and back up to her face. “Are you–”

“I promise! You can stop worrying. I’m not breakable.”

Dawson lifted a hand as if to reach out to her but rubbed his jaw with it instead. “Okay. I’ll take care of the rest of the chores.”

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