Page 57 of Here and Now
“Only slightly?” I ask, pulling my legs underneath me.
“Do you want me to admit that I almost shit my pants?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“I didn’t.”
I laugh. “Okay then. I’m pretty sure I would’ve if that branch fell while we were in the house.”
“You don’t have to worry now. You’re here.”
I am, and I’m not sure I don’t have to worry.
“Right.”
There’s a moment of awkward silence, and then he reaches for the remote. “The cable is out, but I can pull up some stuff I downloaded.”
“Whatever you want.” I’m not a big television person. Mostly because it’s fake, stupid, and I can’t afford it. So we tend to read or do outdoor activities as much as we can.
“They’re mostly superhero movies,” he warns.
“You would love my brother,” I say with a laugh. “It’s all he watches and usually the same ones on repeat.”
He chuckles and then pushes play on one. “Do you want popcorn or anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Okay. I’m grabbing chips because we have to have something to do with our hands.”
My eyes widen. “We do?”
“Well, I do. Otherwise I might reach over and think this is a date, where I could hold your hand.” He laughs, indicating it’s a joke, but ... is it?
And why does the idea of that make my stomach drop?
I don’t want this to be a date because it can’t be. It’s not. It’s a storm.
Dear Lord, I need to stop this thinking.
While he’s in the kitchen, I mentally prepare myself to watch a movie, at his house, while the boys are playing. That’s all this is.
It’s a nice guy who came to my rescue because of the storm, not another coincidence date thing.
Since that’s not even a thing.
When he comes back in and sits on the couch, I need to dissuade him of this whole date thing, since it’s not one. “If this was a date, it would be going pretty terrible, don’t you think?”
Miles shifts, his joggers tight against his thighs, and I can seethe thick muscles there. “Or ... it could be going pretty freaking amazing. I mean, you’re here, it’s late, and you’re staying the night.”
He waggles his brows and I burst out laughing. “Because of the storm.”
“Again, happy coincidence.”
I lean back into the couch, not even capable of hiding my smile. “You’re relentless.”
“I am.”
I let out a long sigh, hating that the reality of my life means I can’t date him, no matter how charming, attractive, and kind he is. Miles can never really know the truth of my past. He stands to get killed, and I couldn’t live with that.
