Page 41 of A Montana Secret Admirer
“Of course.”
He turned to her again. When he didn’t say anything, she continued.
“What I mean is…” She chewed on the corner of her mouth. “Tegan took karate back home for a couple years. The dojo he went to was run by men who knew the skills, but only two of them had professional qualifications.” Her eyes widened as if she was worried what he might think. “All of them had background checks, and the man running the business had hired them because of their experience, but most of them simply didn’t get an official education, if that makes sense.”
Reese nodded. “I understand. And yeah, it’s like that. I’m sure that Bo and Jane would be happy to have me do my part without the extra effort… but…”
She reached out and placed her hand on his knee. He stared down at the contact, and his chest swelled with something he couldn’t describe. Heat licked at his insides. His heart thrummed with a nervous sort of energy. The electricity in the air hummed happily. It was all he could do not to place his hand atop hers and trace designs in her skin. “But it’d make you happier knowing that you are giving it your all,” she whispered, completing his sentence for him.
His eyes lifted to meet hers. “Yeah, that.”
She smiled and withdrew her hand. Without her touch, his whole body seemed to shift, growing colder. He missed her warmth more than he had any right to.
Reese blew out a nervous breath then laughed. He rubbed the back of his neck. “The problem is the program is so far away. It’s a six-month thing—longer if I want the credentials to be a full-blown therapist. And it’sexpensive.”
“You don’t think that Jane and Noah would front the cost?”
“Oh, I’m sure they would. In fact, I bet they’d have me on the next plane out of here if I told them I wanted to go.”
“But?” she pressed.
“But… I don’t know if Bo would be happy about my absence.” Nor did he know whether he could stand the distance from the woman seated beside him. They were running out of time, and he was fighting the desperation that came from wanting more with her. In less than two months, she’d be heading home. She’d probably visit here and there, but would it be the same?
Not likely.
He sighed heavily.
“Maybe you should ask.”
“Hmm?”
“Bo. Ask your cousin if he could stand to let you leave for the next run of the program. See if he can appreciate what you’re trying to do.”
“Yeah, well, if I do that, then will I still be benefiting him? Or Jane’s charity thing?”
She laughed. “Good point.”
They were quiet again for a long moment, then she shifted a little closer to him. Or was that his imagination? Her fingers grazed his where they both rested on the wooden step. A spark ignited somewhere in his body, and he lifted his eyes to find her staring at him with an intensity that he wasn’t prepared for.
“I think it’s worth a shot,” she said.
Was he crazy, or was she leaning toward him? He couldn’t tell if her body was actually tilted or if it was his wishful thinking being draped in the darkness of the night sky.
“You do?” he replied.
She nodded, her eyes lowering as she broke eye contact. “Everyone deserves to find happiness—no matter where it will take them. Life is too short not to take advantage of an opportunity like that one.”
He was leaning toward her just as much as she was leaning toward him. Reese could feel the soft puffs of her breath against his face. Their noses were so close to touching.
Dreaming.
He had to be dreaming.
Reese had somehow ended this conversation, and he’d gone up to his bedroom to get some sleep. It had been a long day. There was too much on his mind, and the confession of how much he cared for Serenity had been simmering like the lava of a volcano ready to fully wake up.
The burning, red substance hovered, and bubbles popped just beneath the surface.
If this was a dream like he thought, then he could kiss her. He could pull her into his arms and ravage her like he’d wanted to do for weeks, and she wouldn’t be scared of him. She might even tell him that she’d been feeling the same thing, too.
