Page 45 of Wildflowers

“Yeah,” he says, easy as can be. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it? Being too busy to talk to me in the morning. Getting out of the house as soon as you can. You’re not exactly subtle.”

My mouth stays shut tight.

“The question is…are you desperate enough to throw yourself out of a moving vehicle to avoid having this conversation with me?”

“Very funny.”

“Thanks,” says the jerk with a smile. “Now we both know my experience with relationships is limited. But I’ve been giving this little problem between us some thought and I think I’ve got it figured out.”

I just wait.

“My theory is that you got sort of intimate with me, and you liked it, and now you’re not sure how you feel about things.” The forehead furrows make an appearance. He’s clearly having deep thoughts or big feelings or something. “Not sure if you’re worried about us getting closer, and the possibility of losing someone else since all of your friends and family died. That’s a lot of hurt to put on one heart. But it might also just be due to our complicated history.”

“And by history, you mean last week or so.” It’s hard to know what to say. “My honest answer is, I don’t know. Maybe. I need more time to think it through. Get comfortable with the idea maybe.”

“Okay.”

“You’re letting it go that easy?” I ask in surprise.

He takes a deep breath. “Here’s the thing…I have feelings for you.”

“I assumed they existed in some part of you. But are we talking in the pants or the heart?”

“Both.”

“So you want to fuck me, but you also want to cuddle me and listen to me speak nonsense.”

“That honestly sounds like a perfect date to me.”

I can’t hold back the smile.

“But you’re still making up your mind,” he says. “You’re attracted to me, but you’re wary. I’m here when you’re ready to talk about it.”

“Thank you.” Which makes it the perfect time for a change of topic. “How long are you going to keep doing the night watches?”

“Not sure.”

“You haven’t seen anything?”

“No. It’s been quiet.”

“That’s good,” I say. “But if you feel it needs to be an ongoing thing, then we all need to start doing our share.”

He raises a brow. “You’re thinking maybe itshouldbe ongoing?”

“I haven’t forgotten those assholes who were there when we had to leave your place and when we got stopped out on the road. Heard anything interesting on the CB radio lately?”

“Three different people have declared themselves President, and there’s at least one king.”

I raise my brows. “Aim high, that’s what I always say.”

“Yeah.” He pauses. “And apparently, there’s a group forming to the south of us.”

“How close?”

“About an hour’s drive away. They’re inviting people to join them.”

“That’s not too close. Do they sound nice or not so much?”

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