Page 52 of Entwined Hearts

“So, tonight, were you outrunning something besides me?” he asks.

The breath moving through my throat chokes off.

“Sometimes, it’s good to talk about it,” he adds.

“I can’t.” I’m afraid I’m going to fall apart again. What will he think about me if I can’t control it?

“It must be so hard to hold everything inside like that,” he says.

I drink in this dose of compassion, which taps my heartstrings like a musician strums a harp. How does he do it? How does he know what to say to make me feel like he cares?

A tear leaks over my lid, and I discreetly wipe it away.

“Hey,” he says, and reaches for my hand.

I searing pain burns inside my chest. “Don’t,” I say, my voice cracking.

“Don’t what?” he asks softly.

“Don’t do this if you don’t mean it,” I manage, unable to meet his eyes.

He slides closer and tilts my face to his.

“Why would you think I don’t mean it?”

“Because…” I start to say, but too many thoughts crowd my mind. My heart wants more of his kindness and my body wants his touch, but my brain blares an alarm at top volume.

“Because of what happened in Bishop?” he asks.

I nod, recalling his expression when he whispered in Sabrina’s ear. “And…you’re not exactly known for your monogamy.”

Tightness flashes across his features, but it disappears. A sly grin sneaks in to take its place. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“What kind of secret?”

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

My lips tighten. “Who says I’m jealous?”

If it’s possible, his look gets even more captivating.

“Did you sleep with her?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Do you want to know?”

“No,” I say, regretting my question. Not only do I not want to know, but it’s also not my business. “Would you have taken her home tonight if you hadn’t come running after me?” So much for this being “not my business.”

He freezes, his eyes darkening with seriousness. A look I rarely see from him. “No,” he says.

I try to look away, but his intense gaze is impossible to escape.

He brushes my cheek with his thumb, and my insides do a slow cartwheel. “You want me to walk you to the door?”

“I want a lot more than that,” I say, though I had planned to say “goodnight” or “thanks.”

Anything but what just came out of my mouth.

He gets a look like a hungry tiger. Before I know it, I’m closing my eyes as his lips connect with mine.

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