Page 21 of Lion's Share
He put a hand up to touch the moist locks. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Smiling, I let us inside and headed into the kitchen to get a couple of kitchen towels. The bath towels upstairs would have been thicker, but these were a lot closer at hand.
My hair wasn’t exactly dry, either, but because it had been pulled back in a scrunchie during our trip into the woods, it had fared a little better than Ben’s.
I handed him one of the towels, and he rubbed it over his hair, making it stick up in all directions. Despite everything…the mysterious random Ogham letters carved into those trees, the ATV tracks, the lingering uncertainty about what was really happening in the forest…I found myself grinning at how ridiculous he looked.
“What?” he asked, sounding wounded.
“Nothing,” I replied innocently. “You just look like you stuck your finger in a light socket.”
At that comment, he laughed and made a halfhearted attempt to smooth his hair down. It didn’t help much.
“Here,” I said, and stepped closer. “Let me.”
I reached up and tried to tame the worst of the chaos, my fingers running through the thick, damp strands. His hair was softer than I’d expected, and suddenly I was all too aware of how close we were standing, how his eyes had darkened as he watched me.
My hand stilled.
“Sidney,” he said, his voice very quiet.
I should have stepped back and put some safe distance between us. But I didn’t want to.
Somehow, I manage to say, “Yes?”
“I’ve been wanting to tell you something.”
My heart was hammering now, so loudly I was surprised he couldn’t hear it. “Tell me what?”
“That I — ”
Before he could finish the sentence, the lights flickered again and then went out completely, plunging us into darkness.
Perfect timing.
“Do you have any candles?” he asked, sounding almost normal.
Luckily, I had them all over the house. “The closest one is sitting on the bookshelf. I just need to get the lighter from the kitchen.”
I fumbled my way there, grateful that I knew the house so well that I could have navigated it blindfolded. My fingers found the drawer pull, and I rummaged around until I located the long-handled lighter I’d been looking for.
With it in hand, I went back into the living room, where I lit the jar candle on top of the bookcase, and then some tea lights in their little carved stone holders. Their warm glow showed that Ben had settled himself on the couch, probably so he wouldn’t go blundering around in the dark and trip over something.
“Well, this is atmospheric,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, even though my pulse was still racing from that interrupted moment of…well, whatever it had been.
“Very,” he agreed, and patted the cushion next to him. “Might as well sit down while we wait for the power to come back on.”
I settled beside him, probably closer than I needed to. The flickering shadows cast by the candles played across Ben’s face, softening his features.
Might as well go for broke before I completely lost my nerve.
“What were you going to say?” I asked. “Before the lights went out?”
He was quiet for a moment, and I wondered if he was going to dodge the question. But then he turned toward me, his expression serious.
“That I really care about you,” he said. “And that I know the timing is terrible with everything that’s going on right now, but I needed you to know.”
Just what I’d been hoping to hear. Of course, now I had to figure out how in the world to respond without sounding like an idiot.
