Page 55 of Sheltered

Needing to answer her question, I found a way to rein in the laughter. “Immensely.”

“Why is that?”

Smiling at her as I held her in my arms, I explained, “You just said you were curious if I was prepared for a zombie apocalypse.”

“Because that’s important to know,” she argued. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“Right. Well, I agree that we should be prepared for things like that and will take the necessary steps to see that I am,” I promised her.

“You’re making fun of me,” she pouted.

I shook my head. “Not a chance, baby. I think you are adorable, and I love that you want to get to know all these random facts about me. Here’s what I can tell you. I’m clearly not a messy guy. I have a collection of pocketknives. I don’t sing in the shower, or anywhere else, for that matter. I wouldn’t say I’m prepared specifically for a zombie attack, but I’d like to think my line of work will give me an edge should we ever face something so horrific. I would do anything to protect the people I care about. And lastly, I’m allergic to kiwi.”

Harlow’s eyes widened. “Kiwi?”

Nodding, I explained, “My throat starts to tingle with even the smallest taste of it. I never knew it was a thing, but apparently, it is.”

“Wow. I’ll be sure to keep that out of my next fruit salad,” she assured me.

“That would be appreciated. Do you have any other questions for me?” I asked.

She pressed her lips together, a gorgeous flush adorning her cheeks, as she shook her head. “No. Not right now.”

Curious as to why there was a sudden change, I pressed, “I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Uncertainty and a bit of hesitancy moved through her features. Harlow swallowed hard, preparing herself to respond, and finally shared, “Well, I told you I had a couple of reasons I asked to come and see your place.”

My body froze. “Oh? What are your other reasons?”

Her eyes darted all over, and I could easily see the struggle. As much as I wanted to ease that for her, I didn’t want to make assumptions about what she was going to say. So, I remained patient and silent.

Finally, she whispered, “I didn’t think it would be appropriate to do what I wanted to do with you while we were at the restaurant.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. If it felt like this for me, I could only imagine what it felt like for Harlow. “We’re here now. You can do anything you’d like to do with me.”

Harlow nervously bit her lip. It took every ounce of self-control I had left not to react to that. “I was… I was wondering… it’s just that, well, I wanted to show you how much it meant to me to have all that I did with you today.”

I lifted a brow. “You want to show me what it meant to you?”

She nodded.

Curious as to what exactly brought her to this point, so I could be certain to do it all over again, I asked, “What is making you so compelled to want to show your appreciation?”

I knew I was delaying myself in getting whatever Harlow intended to give, but I thought it was just as important to know what made this woman tick.

“I would be lying if I said there was only one thing,” she confessed. “I think it’s a culmination of everything we’ve had between us to this point, but it’s different now. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like things changed today, and it started with that conversation and kiss in the parking lot.”

That conversation.

I still couldn’t get that conversation or that kiss out of my head.

And she was right. It had certainly felt like a turning point for us. It was her admission of her feelings for me. Since I’d been too moved by her words, and hadn’t been able to say exactly how I felt for her, I’d hoped she could tell how much it meant to me by the kiss I’d given her. She was giving me that confirmation now, and it felt good.

“It’s not just you, Harlow.”

She smiled at me and added, “Then you said what you did at lunch.”

“What did I say?”

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