Page 21 of Unhurried Hearts

She blinks down at our joined hands.

Her lower lips trembles, her chin dimpling like she could cry at any moment. “You do?”

It’s killing me to see the insecurity on her face, to know that asshat who I sent out of here played a part in putting it there. I reach up, dragging my thumb across her lip. She’s so damn soft. Her jaw relaxes, eyes beginning to take on some of that heatagain.

“That kiss…” I move my thumb to the side so I can feel that softness with my lips.

I should probably care that we’re in a busy coffee shop, but I don’t, the noise fading as all my senses work to catalogue her warm mouth and the surprised moan she makes. She pulls back.

“Do you think we could, maybe, if it’s okay with you…take it slow?”

An orb of excitement glows in my chest. Slow? I’m currently the king of slow. I’ve been at a dead stop for five months. This is the loophole I need to get to know Anna better without ruining my promise to myself. This potential relationship has a chance to be different.

I release her hands and run my thumb over her bottom lip, noticing in the late afternoon light that there’s a freckle in the centre.

“Anna,” I breathe, leaning back in. “We can go as slow as you want.”

A tiny whimper escapes her and my cock twitches in my jeans. We are going to have to keep busy, and not in the fun sense of the word if we’re going to stay out of each other’s pants. I stand, somewhat abruptly, and she does the same. We walk out onto Main Street with our barely touched coffees in hand. Anna scans the street and makes for my Jeep.

“Where are you going?”

“It’s where arewegoing, Chris. Family dinner, remember?”

I have a vision of my dad giving her a detailed tour of his garage before asking her if she knows how to change her own oil.

I hesitate in the middle of the sidewalk, apologizing to someone I block before catching up to her.

“What? You don’t have to come to that.”

Anna leans against the passenger door, wrapping her coffee-coloured cardigan so tight around herself that it stretches across her chest.

“Why not?” Her gaze drops to my lips for moment. “I’m hungry.”

Fuck. I’m hungry too, but not for family dinner.

“Let’s go.”

I unlock the door, smiling when she takes my hand to help her up.

Shit. Okay. We are really doing this.

I blow out a breath as I walk around to the driver’s side. I’ve never brought a girl home to meet my parents.

I wanted something different. I got it.

***

“You know, I was really confident about this fifteen minutes ago. But I think I changed my mind.”

Anna’s nails tap out at a quick rhythm on her thigh as she stares out the window at my childhood home.

“It’s a simple meal,” I remind her. “My dad is probably going to get distracted talking to you, and he’ll burn something on the grill. My mom will gauge your interest level in invasive species–”

“My what?” Her head whips toward me.

“Plants that shouldn’t be here. Ivy bad. Salal good.”

“Ivy bad, salal good, ivy bad, salal good,” she mutters under her breath.

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