Page 54 of The Lies I've Told
He could recite the damn alphabet or read the phone book aloud, and I would fan myself. That accent made every word he said ten times hotter.
“I think maybe we need to set some ground rules,” I managed to say.
“Like what?”
“Like, is this a one-time thing?”
His forehead furrowed. He didn’t like that idea. Not one bit. “Do you want it to be?”
My lips pressed together as I contemplated the idea of walking away after today. My heart felt heavy, and I didn’t know why.
“No,” I answered honestly.
“Then, let’s not make it a one-time thing.”
I let out a long breath. “But where does that leave us? Neither of us is staying in Ocracoke long.”
“So, can’t we simply enjoy this—whatever it is—for however long we have?”
“And then we part ways? Just like that?”
He nodded, though part of me wondered if it pained him to do so, and I watched his eyes lower, and his lips part.
“Just like that.”
Our deep conversation was broken as the waitress brought over our food, and we both thanked her for doing so. Some of the flirtiness from before had long since passed as I looked down at my platter, brimming with barbecue sauce.
“Do me one favor though, will you, love?” Aiden’s voice brought my eyes back up and forward.
He was staring straight at me with that dark, brooding gaze once again, and I felt my heart quicken.
“Of course,” I replied.
“Guard your heart, Millie,” he warned. “I can’t offer you more than this, and I don’t want to be responsible for breaking it.”
I found myself nodding, unable to speak, as I watched him unfold his napkin.
At first, I thought about replying,What heart?
Mine had already been trampled by Lorenzo only days earlier, but then I remembered all the times it had fluttered in response to the sound of Aiden’s voice, or the touch of his hand.
How wildly it had beaten in my chest when his lips found mine.
No, my heart was still very much alive and beating, waiting to be loved.
Waiting to be destroyed.
I looked up at Aiden one more time, knowing I should end this before it even began. I was playing with fire, and the only one who was bound to get burned was me.
And yet I couldn’t turn away.
Like a moth dazzled by a flame, I knew I was skating the edge between love and desire. I told myself I could handle it.
I could stifle my budding feelings for Aiden Fisher.
So, I did the only thing I could do. With a brief nod, I agreed to his terms.
For better or for worse.
