Page 43 of Tangled

“So who told you to drill me with questions?”

Kane shakes his head and then laughs.

“It was Drew, wasn’t it?” I lean forward, itching for information.

“No, it wasn’t Drew. No one actually told me to just start drilling you. I made that mistake all on my own.”

“Wow, so you really must have been out of the dating world for a while then, huh?”

Kane’s face falls as he clears his throat and then nods. Suddenly, a rush of fear zips through me as I wait for his answer. Based on his reaction, nerves spike in my chest, bracing myself for a confession that might make me run.

“The last time I pursued a girl I was sixteen,” he finally states, rocking my mind and causing my stomach to plummet.

“Sixteen?” I whisper, afraid to show my true shock and concern. That means he was a teenager and now he’s gotta be in his late twenties at least. Holy hell! What the heck happened there?

“Yeah. She was my high school sweetheart. Things didn’t work out, obviously,” he declares in a way where I sense the conversation ends there.

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll coach you along the way,” I tease him, winking in his direction when he locks eyes with me again.

“I just might need that Olivia. I’m way out of my comfort zone here.”

Reaching for his hand, it becomes my turn to soothe and comfort him. I close the distance between us, scooting close enough that I get a whiff of his scent now, his cologne mixed with the smoke from the bonfire out back transporting me to another place entirely.

“So where do we go from here?” I ask as this elated feeling overcomes me. I don’t think I realized just how much I wanted to see this side of him until he just gave me a glimpse of it. Clara was right. There is definitely something here between us, besides the physical.

Although, as I study him, admiring his strong face and eyes and the way his entire body eats up the space on the swing, I’m only reminded of our sexual rendezvous from before, and suddenly my entire body becomes hot.

“Well, I have more questions I’d like to ask you, if you’re game?”

I smile, admiring how boyishly cute he sounds right now. It’s like the sixteen-year-old innocence he still possesses is the only way he knows how to interact with me right now.

“Sure,” I agree, the tingles of excitement I feel makes me itch with anticipation for more. The truth is, I think I’ve always wanted more from him since that first night. And now I’m getting it.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Chapter 20

Kane

I swear, I don’t think I even felt this nervous when I was trekking across the desert trying not to get killed in Afghanistan.

No, that’s a lie. Avoiding death is definitely the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever done. But knowing that I had to make a move tonight with Olivia is definitely a close second to that level of anxiety.

Yet, here we are, sitting on the porch swing, isolated from the crowd so the only two people who exist at this moment are her and me. She looks stunning tonight, wearing dark blue jeans and a puffy cream-colored coat, her stark red hair cascading down around her face in soft waves. Every time her eyes meet mine, I get that same spark of need I felt in her classroom that day that made me run. But tonight, I’m welcoming it.

Obviously, I’ve always found her beautiful—but something about how the tip of her nose is slightly red from the cold, or the way she’s finally opening up and letting me in without all the bullshit sexual politics in the way—makes her even more desirable.

Reaching in the pocket of my coat, I fetch my phone where my list of questions is typed out. I prepared in advance for my goal this evening. Little did I know that it would slightly backfire. But then again, here we are, Olivia agreeing to continue my inquisition. I guess this idea wasn’t all bad.

“Oh, my gosh… do you have notes on your phone?” She peers over into my lap, and the closeness of her body spikes my heart rate to unhealthy levels. I’ve already been inside this woman, but now that our relationship has shifted, she makes me even more nervous than I was that first night. When all I considered we would be was casual sex, the pressure was off. I could immerse myself in the experience and own it. Sex is easy, that’s something I’ve never struggled with.

But now we’re crossing into an unfamiliar territory for me, the process of getting to know each other beyond the physical. The last time I did this was with she-who-will-not-be-named anymore. I refuse to dwell on her when I have this gorgeous woman in front of me, her head mere inches from my crotch.

“Yes, I have a list. I wanted to be prepared,” I fire back, retracting my phone from her eyesight, making her sit back and fake a pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

Fuck, she’s cute when she’s mad—even if it is fake.

“Come on. I worked hard on this. Let me be bask in my effort?” I ask, hoping she’ll see that I’m putting in an abundance of effort where she’s concerned.

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