Page 22 of Finding Her Strength

“Which one would you pick?” she asks.

“Beach all the way. Although, I do enjoy the mountains, as well.”

“Books or movies?”

I grin, happy she’s joining the game with her own questions. “Movies.”

“No way! The books are always better.”

“I wish I had the attention span to read.”

“You should try an audiobook. You could do it while you work,” Hope suggests. It’s an incredibly insightful idea. I shouldn’t be surprised. Hope seems to be the kind of person who would notice every detail about you, cataloging it to use later, if needed.

“What do you like to read?”

Hope’s cheeks grow pink, and I raise my eyebrow back at her in anticipation of the answer. “I like a lot of different things, but my favorite is romance.”

“Well, I never would’ve guessed.” I grin at her. An image of Hope reading sexy books pops into my head. I wonder if she ever gets turned on by them. I clear my throat. I do not need to be thinking about her like that while she’s standing right next to me. It’s hard enough to keep my hands to myself without any dirty thoughts in my head.

“You should try them. I bet you’d like some of the military ones. They’ve usually got quite a bit of action in them.”

“If you send me an audiobook, I promise I will try it out.”

Hope looks at me for a moment, trying to gauge my sincerity. I genuinely meant what I said. If she sent me the book, I really would try to listen to it.

We keep the game going back and forth while we finish up the dishes. I’m learning so much about Hope that I would’ve never gotten to know if it weren’t for Mom. I’ll have to thank her for it sometime.

We have a lot more in common than I thought we did. Each topic we bring up seems to provide more interests we share, but our answers vary slightly. We both love coffee entirely too much, but I drink mine black while she likes it sweet. Neither one of us enjoys playing sports, but she likes watching baseball, and I like watching football. Italian food is both of our favorites, but she’s a red sauce fan whereas I prefer white sauce.

This connection growing between us is something I’ve never experienced before. The more I learn about her, the more I want to keep digging to get at the heart of who she is as a person. I want to be the only one she shares her deepest desires with.

Disappointment flows through me as we finish up the dishes. With our task done, we’re both going to have to leave soon. I’m not ready for the night to end, but there’s no way Hope would be ready to go somewhere alone with me. Plus, I don’t want to push her too far too quickly. I want to do this right. Prove to her that I can be someone she can trust to take care of her.

We both gather our things and walk toward the front door. I holler up the stairs to say goodbye to Mom and Dad, who shout a goodbye in return. Opening the door for Hope, she steps through, and I follow closely behind her. As I walk her to her car, the cool evening air feels refreshing after being inside for so long.

Hope stands next to her car, keys in hand, looking up at me through her dark lashes. For the first time since I mether, I feel like I can get a read on her, and I don’t think she wants to leave any more than I do. I step closer, mere inches between us now.

“When you get your decorations picked out, give me a call. I can help you put them up.”

“I will. Thank you for offering.”

“Just don’t want you to smash a finger or something.” I grin down at her.

Hope’s eyes hold mine for a minute, the whole world reflecting back at me. Without much thought, I gently wrap my hand around her arm, tugging her toward me. I want to kiss her with everything I have, but instead, I slowly wrap my arms around her shoulders, embracing her in a hug that feels more intimate than any sexual encounter I’ve experienced.

Hope’s body is stiff for a second before she melts into my arms, wrapping hers around my waist. We fit so perfectly together as if we were always supposed to find each other.

I place my nose to the top of her head, inhaling her flowery scent, then gently press my lips against her head. Hope drops her arms and steps away from me, my body chilling from the sudden loss of her body heat. I shake my head, trying to get my raging body under control. How one moment can send me into a tailspin will never be clear to me. Nothing even happened.

“Good night, Levi,” Hope whispers, then quickly gets into her car.

“Night,” I say as her door closes on my words.

Stepping back, I watch her pull out of the driveway. In all my dating history, a hug has never affected me the way Hope’s body against mine did. There’s something inside her calling to the heart of me. Something wild and free that she’s holding close, too afraid to let it out.

I’m determined to be the safe place for her to soar. To prove I have what it takes to set her free.

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