Page 20 of Easton’s Claim

Easton lowered his hand and stood there watching her for a long moment. “I haven’t seen anyone since long before I found out you were getting a divorce.”

That stunned her. “You haven’t?” Her voice sounded so small.

He shook his head. “No, because I don’t want anyone but you.” When she simply stared at him in stunned silence, he continued. “Does the rest of that stuff really matter to you? Yeah, I’m gone a lot with my job and I can’t help that, but I’m hoping that doesn’t put me out of the running.”

Out of the running? Withher? This was too bizarre. She barely resisted the urge to run past him and upstairs to hide in Charlie’s room.

“As for you and Wyatt, you guys dated a hundred years ago, for just a couple weeks. It wasn’t serious, and you never slept together.”

She nearly choked. “You asked him that? Backthen? You were thirteen!” There was no way he could have had those kinds of feelings for her back then.

“Yeah. And I was insanely jealous of Wyatt for a long time after you guys broke up, because I had a serious crush on you, even back then. I told him then that I thought he was the dumbest shit in the universe for letting you go, but I’m glad you guys broke up when you did.”

She couldn’t even believe what she was hearing. It was so hard to accept what he was saying, his words throwing her entire world off kilter. “You mean…all along, all this time…?”

He nodded once, his eyes somber. “But especially the past ten years or so.”

Ten years. Oh my God.

She took a step backward, reached behind her to feel for the porch swing because her legs were about to give out. She sat with an ungraceful plop and stared at him, feeling like she was seeing him for the first time.

And what a view it was, his tall, muscular form silhouetted by the porch light. He was the kind of man who could have any woman he wanted. Yet he wanted her, and had for more than a decade? Did she understand that right?

“I had no idea,” she managed, trying to ignore the way her body was going haywire. It was forbidden. She couldn’t act on it. Wouldn’t.

“Yeah, I noticed.” His voice held an ironic edge.

Bewildered, she shook her head. “You never gave a single indication that you were interested in me before now.”

“Yeah, because by the time I was old enough for you to see me as something besides Wyatt’s little brother, you were engaged. And then you got married.”

Her heart was racing, her body caught in a wild mix of euphoria and disbelief. “Wow,” was all she could say.

He sat next to her again but didn’t crowd her this time, leaving a space between them, and he didn’t try to touch her. She appreciated that he didn’t push because she was struggling to make the mental adjustment between friends and way more than friends and one more move from him would have sent her running.

“So have I read you wrong?” he asked. “Is it just one-sided on my part?”

Her face flamed hotter. There was no way she was going to admit her change of feelings toward him right now. “We can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re friends, Easton.”

“And us being together is going to change that?”

“It could,” she fired back. It probably would. And if anything went wrong, she risked losing not just him, but her surrogate family as well. “It could ruin everything.” God, she wished he’d never kissed her or told her any of this.

“I know this is a shock to you,” he allowed, “but I would never do anything to jeopardize—”

“I’m moving to Minnesota,” she said in desperation, trying to get through to him. This would never work. They were too different, and their lives weren’t compatible.

“If that’s what you really want, if the job means that much to you, then we’ll work it out.”

He wasn’t listening. “You’re the wild child of the family. I’m straight-laced and that’s not going to change.” How would that even work between them?

He gave her a slow smile that made hot tingles explode in her abdomen. “I’ve grown up a lot over the years, in case you haven’t noticed. Not nearly as wild as I used to be. Any other objections?” He took her hand, curled his long, strong fingers around hers.

“You’re just going to shoot them down one by one no matter what I say, aren’t you?” she said in exasperation, every nerve ending in her body clamoring for his touch.

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