Page 43 of Simply Yours

Jason’s lips twitched, but there was something serious in his gaze. “Because I’ve decided that I want to take a chance on a few things I’ve missed in my life.”

Caitlin’s breath hitched, her fingers itching to do something—grab the honeysuckle, walk away, anything to break the intensity of his stare. “And you decided I was one of them?” she asked, forcing her voice to sound unimpressed.

“More like it hit me between the eyes like a two-by-four.”

Caitlin let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head as she picked up the honeysuckle again—then put it back down just as fast. “That’s so flattering,” she muttered.

Jason only grinned, undeterred. “I was being honest.”

“Painfully so.”

“Would you rather I lie to you?”

“Not necessarily lie,” she hedged, shifting her weight as she tried not to focus on the way he was looking at her. “But you could soften the blow.”

Jason tilted his head, pretending to consider her words. “Hmm.”

And then he just stared at her.

The silence stretched, thick and full of something Caitlin wasn’t ready to name. Her skin tingled, awareness prickling at the back of her neck. Finally, she snapped. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Do I have something on my face or something?” she demanded, suddenly self-conscious.

Jason hesitated. His gaze flickered over her face, lingering. And then—slowly—he reached out, his fingers hovering just over her cheek.

Caitlin stiffened. “Oh goodness,” she breathed, eyes widening. “If it’s a spider or a bee—get it off me!” She went rigid, panic flashing in her chest.

But Jason only chuckled, low and warm. He leaned in, his breath stirring against her cheek. “Relax, Caitlin,” he murmured, his voice edged with amusement.

Her stomach did an unexpected flip, and she barely resisted the urge to shiver.

Caitlin’s pulse quickened as Jason stepped closer—too close— close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him, close enough that his scent—fresh pine and something warm and familiar, like cinnamon and worn leather—wrapped around her senses, making her head spin.

He was too calm, too steady, too everything.

She should step back. She should say something. But then he spoke.

“I think it was your eyes and your laugh that made me realize just how much I was missing in my world,” he murmured, his voice like the slow drawl of a summer breeze, coaxing her to listen.

Caitlin’s breath caught in her throat as his fingertips brushed along her jaw, featherlight and deliberate, tracing a path down to the curve of her ear. Every nerve in her body stood at attention, the world around her blurring until there was only him. Only this moment.

“I heard you laugh, saw you smile, and thought the happiness within you looked incredible… and I wanted to be a part of it,” Jason continued, his voice dropping lower, intimate. “I think I realized then that I wanted to find someone who could make me smile, make me laugh, and you were there before me.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs as she stared up at him, caught in the moment, in the quiet vulnerability of his confession. She felt raw, exposed, and seen in a way that both terrified and thrilled her.

He leaned back slightly, just enough to meet her gaze. His eyes, a stormy shade of blue-gray, searched hers as if waiting for something—permission, maybe. Confirmation.

“How was that?” he breathed.

The weight of his words pressed against her, stealing her breath.

“Was that a lie?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jason didn’t hesitate. “That was my two-by-four moment.”

A shaky laugh escaped her. “You… you thoughtthat?”

---