Page 46 of Little Did You Know

"Yeah, I had some business to catch up on."

"You're a busy man." Her voice held a note I couldn't quite read. She traced the spine of her book with one finger, not meeting my eyes. The casual gesture shouldn't have been distracting, but I found myself following the slow path of her fingertip. "Is something wrong?"

"I was hoping we could talk." I turned to gauge her reaction, watching as she stilled completely, like a deer catching a hunter's scent. Her expression remained neutral, but I caught the quick dart of her tongue across her lower lip, the slight hitch in her breathing that betrayed her composure.

"Nick, if this is about earlier today, don't worry about it." Olivia's fingers played with the corner of her book page, creasing and uncreasing the edge.

I shifted on the deck chair, the wood creaking beneath me. "It's not only about earlier today. It's about everything."

Olivia marked her place with care. "Okay, then we can talk."

The patio suddenly felt too confining. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Her eyes drifted to the gathering darkness beyond the porch lights. "It's kind of dark, isn't it?"

I gestured toward the stone pathway, where landscape lights cast pools of warm light. "There's a lighted path down to the lake. We can walk that if you want."

Olivia slipped her bare feet into her sandals, the book abandoned on the chair. "Okay."

Crickets serenaded our slow stroll to the lake, each step measured, neither of us willing to break the silence that had settled between us. The path seemed endless, every brush of shoulders accidental yet inevitable.

Olivia stopped at the water's edge, her breath catching. "Wow." Her eyes followed the path of moonlight across the dark water, but I found myself studying how the breeze played with loose strands of her hair, how her fingers trembled slightly as she tucked them behind her ear.

I guided us onto the weathered planks, testing each step. "Yeah, I bought it about two years ago."

At the dock's end, she turned to face me, one hand trailing along the smooth railing as she leaned back. "What did you want to talk about?"

The distant rumble of thunder matched my pulse.Well, here goes nothing.

I cleared my throat as I shifted to face her. "You know that I'm attracted to you." My hands gripped the dock railing, knuckles white against the weathered wood.

She nodded, moonlight catching the curve of her throat.

I paced the length of the dock, my shoes hollow against the wooden planks. "And I'm assuming you're attracted to me."

“I am.”

"After this morning..." The night air felt electric against my skin. Each breath between us felt charged, dangerous. "I realized something today." I moved closer, close enough to catch the subtle hitch in her breathing, to see how her fingers tightened on the railing. "I don't think I can keep my hands off you anymore. I don’t want to keep my hands to myself." The confession hung in the air between us, making her pupils dilate slightly. "And if we can come to some type of agreement..." I let my voice trail off, watching how she swayed unconsciously toward me.

Olivia wrapped her arms around herself, the evening breeze lifting strands of her hair. "What kind of agreement?"

"I want to figure out our rules and limitations."

"I don't have any rules."

"You might not right now, but later that may change." My hands gripped the railing, knuckles white against the weathered wood.

Olivia stepped back, putting space between us. "Nick, you're confusing me."

I moved closer, drawn to her. The space between us crackled with possibilities, each breath bringing her scent. "I'm sorry, this is new to me too." The confession rasped in my throat, more vulnerable than intended.

Her brow furrowed as she studied my face in the moonlight, and I fought the urge to smooth the crease with my thumb. The dock railing pressed against her back, leaving her nowhere to retreat as I unconsciously leaned closer. "What do you mean?" Her voice held a tremor that matched the slight shake in her hands, and I wondered if she could hear how my heart hammered against my ribs.

"Usually, I have a list of the rules, and if she breaks them, she's gone, but that's not going to work with you. You live in my house, and that breaks all the rules, and you'll always be a part of my life regardless of what rules you break." She started looking away from me, but I grabbed her chin, pulling her gaze back. "I want to forget about the rules. If we come upon something that makes one of us uncomfortable, then we'll be honest about it; otherwise, we do what we want."

"No rules?"

"Not exactly rules, but there are a few things I need you to know and understand."

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