Page 91 of Somewhere You Belong

“Hey. I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here to make a call,” I say, still awestruck by the mouthwatering specimen of a man standing in front of me.

He runs a hand through his messy hair—hissexhair—and damn him, it makes him look even more appealing. “I appreciate that. Is there more coffee, though?”

“Yeah. Let me end this call and I’ll be right in.”

He takes a few steps toward me, tilting my chin up before gently pressing his lips to mine. “Take your time, Goose.”

I wait for him to go back in the house before remembering that I’m on the phone with Shauna.

“Hello? Earth to Willow. Are you still there?” her voice calls out to me.

“Uh, yeah. I’m here.” I clear my throat and continue, “Look, I’ve got to go.”

“You’re going to leave me hanging like that? Who showed up at the house? And why did he call you Goose?”

I lower my voice and turn my back to the house again. “I can’t have this conversation with Dallas around, okay?”

“Willow, you need to decide what you want to do.”

“I know…”

“And honestly, I say go for it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can do whatever you want, Willow. It’s your life. The question is, do you have the guts to make a choice for yourself? One that isn’t tied to your job or what you think people expect from you?”

“Get right to the point, why don’t you?” I reply sarcastically, even though I know she’s right.

“That’s what I’m here for. But I will tell you this, coming from my own experience—secrets will come out eventually, sothe most important thing is that he hears the truth from you and not someone else. Trust me. If you want to explore this relationship with him further, you need to be prepared to tell him everything.”

“What if he can’t look past it?”

Shauna sighs audibly. “That’s just a chance you’re going to have to take, but trust me, you can’t have a relationship built on half-truths.”

I close my eyes. “Okay.”

“In the meantime, enjoy the sex, and keep me posted.”

Chuckling, I say, “I will. And you’d better keep sending me pictures of my nephew.”

“I have about five hundred I could send to you right now.”

“I expect them all within the hour.”

She laughs, making me feel slightly better. “I love you, Willow. You’ll figure this out. I know you will.”

“Thank you. Talk to you soon.”

As I end the call, Dallas comes back outside, holding his own cup of coffee. “Everything okay?”

I turn to face him again, admiring how attractive he is, remembering how his body felt on top of mine, and the fact that those darkened eyes were focused on me last night. And then I think about how he makes me feel beyond physically—like I’m worth his attention, like he wants me here, like what I have to say is important. I’ve shared more of myself with this man than any man before him, that’s for sure.

Doesn’t that tell you something, Willow?

“Yeah. I was just talking to my best friend, Shauna. She lives in Texas.”

“And what were you two talking about?” He crowds me against the railing, pushing his hips into mine. I feel him grow hard the second we touch.

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