Page 84 of Love for a Lifetime

Dawson turned off the flashlight and tried to count the eyes glowing in the muted moonlight. He had his gun on his hip, and he could use it if necessary. Though, he didn’t pose the option since Olivia would shut it down faster than a bear trap could snap.

Olivia rested back against the seat and turned to him. He could barely make out the lines of her face in the dark, but he knew those features by heart. Long lashes covered the most beautiful hazel eyes he’d ever seen. The gold flecks in the center drew him in like a moth to a flame. Her cheeks were rounded and almost always lifted with her smile.

And that smile? Now that he knew how that smile tasted, he wanted more. He’d never get enough.

They were completely alone. No distractions. Nothing reminding them to keep their distance. Nothing standing between them. Even the forest hid them from the reality waiting just beyond its edges.

But for now, she was all his.

“Dawson?” His name on her soft breath was barely a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“We kissed.”

A chuckle escaped before he had a chance to contain it. “Is that just now sinking in?”

Olivia covered her mouth with both hands, and the low moonlight reflected off her wide eyes. Her words were muffled by her hands. “I can’t believe we did that. I’m freaking out a little.”

Dawson tilted his head. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or offended if you’re more freaked out about our kiss than you are the pack of wolves we just escaped.”

Olivia’s hands fell from her mouth instantly, and she sat up straight. “I’m serious! What do you think about this?”

“‘Bout time,” Dawson said just as Olivia swatted his chest. “I’m serious. I’ve only wanted to kiss you for the last decade.”

Olivia’s breaths came in short gasps as she shifted her hands to frame her face. “I’m not supposed to want you like this. It’s wrong.”

So, she wanted him. That was the best news he’d heard in his life. He’d be playing those last words on repeat in his mind for the rest of his days.

Reaching out, Dawson rested his hands on her arms and rubbed his thumbs in small circles over her shoulders until her hands relaxed in her lap. “This is not wrong. It’s right.”

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then her temple. His hands slid over her shoulders to her neck and up to cradle her face.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and stayed there until her breathing evened out. Slowly, she lifted her hands and pressed them on top of his.

When he was sure she wasn’t in danger of hyperventilating, he brushed the side of his nose against hers before pressing their lips together.

Now he was the one losing his breath. Kissing Olivia was like crashing into the sun. It burned him on contact and left him lit up like a blue flame long after.

When he broke the kiss, he didn’t pull away. “This is right,” he whispered, praying she could sense the honesty in his words.

“But you don’t understand. I–I don’t even know what this is yet.”

“Let me fill you in. You’re my best friend, and while that friendship is one of the most prized relationships in my life, I want to be more than just your friend.”

There. He’d laid it all out on the line, and now he just had to wait to see if she loved or hated this new development.

Olivia pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I have feelings for you that are…more than friendly. On the one hand, I want more than friendship between us.” She paused and looked at her hands in her lap. “But there are reasons we shouldn’t.”

“Reasons with an S? As in plural?” Dawson asked. Had she tallied up a defense against him, or was she just being cautious? “What are you talking about?”

She let out a deep sigh. “It’s not just about us. There are reasons why we shouldn’t…”

“You said that, but I don’t know what these reasons are. Please, explain.”

Olivia lifted her head, and he could have sworn there was a glint of the light in her eye. He brushed his thumb over her cheek where a tear had just escaped.

“Talk to me, Liv.”

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