Page 19 of Two Is Better Than One

"It's some land that belongs to a friend. It's private land. We won't get bothered out here."

Casey threw me the quilt, and I spread it in the bed of the truck. I sat down on it, making plenty of room for him to find a place when he came back there. Casey stretched out, lying down with his arm crooked behind his head like a pillow. He had on a button-down shirt, but it was short-sleeved, and I could see the muscles in his arms. I also saw a little of his torso. I was intimidated by him physically. He was like a wild horse, and all I wanted to do was lie next to him and feel the warmth of his body. I took my Allie-style glasses off and stashed them to the side.

"I can't take off the wig. It's hard to get back on right, and it affects my makeup a little to take it off and put it back on."

"It's fine," he said. "I know who you are."

"How? I still don't understand." My gaze roamed down his arm, onto his shirt, and then back to his face. I made eye contact with him again. "How?" I repeated.

He stared into my eyes. We were in the shade of some trees, and the lighting was perfect. His eyes were yellow, almost predatory. He was wild, and I could hardly stand it. I wanted to write a thousand songs about him. I stretched out beside him and propped myself on my arm where I could lean toward him. He reached up and touched the side of my face with his free hand.

"Right here," he said gently tapping my temple area. "Your eyes."

"The speck? It's such a slight difference," I said.

"It's not just the speck—there's multiple specks, and the shade is different. They're just different. You're different than your sister. I can't believe you thought you had me fooled that whole time."

"Everyone else believes it," I said. "No one else knows a thing. You're amazing. They are a different tone of blue, and no one's ever even noticed that."

Casey dropped his hand, and I missed the contact so much that I curled up beside him. He adjusted, pulling me in, and the next thing I knew, I was resting with my head on his chest. He tucked his arm around me, cradling me and making a comfortable pillow of human muscle. Casey was confident and sure, and he held me like he was accustomed to taking women into the crook of his arm and holding them there. I wasn't the kind of woman who was used to being held, and it took me a minute to relax and fall into a natural breathing pattern.

I had it bad for Casey Morgan, and my body was on fire as a result of lying next to him. It felt so good to bask in the warmth of human touch. I needed it. It was a pretty day with clear skies, but I closed my eyes and stayed there, relishing in his body heat, his touch… needing nothing else but the sensation of another human's skin on mine.

I gained inspiration as I rested there. I would do everything I could to channel the glorious feeling and write about it. Being next to Casey in that moment felt so necessary. I had no idea how I had been missing this feeling for so long.

We stayed there for what must've been thirty minutes, thinking. One time, I almost cried at the thought of his patience, lying there with me.

I fell in love with him in those silent moments. I experienced this flash of something toward the end, where I had the strong urge to build a life with Casey Morgan—a life where I could figure out a way to be next to him like this every day.

But, no.

I would be saying goodbye to him soon.

I knew I couldn’t create bonds.

I sat up, feeling nervous and a bit short of breath. I put my hand on my head. I had forgotten all about the wig, and I instinctually made sure it was straight. I focused on Casey.

"I’m not going to kiss you," I said dazedly. "But it's not because I don't want to. I really, really want to." I said the words slowly as I stared at his mouth. It was the truth. I really did want to.

Casey took my dazed hesitation as permission, which maybe it kind of was. Either way, he kissed me. He leaned upward just far enough to let his mouth touch mine, and I leaned in, meeting him there.

Casey pressed forward and let his mouth connect with mine in a kiss that was so scorching hot that my insides melted. I was helpless to do anything but lean in and kiss him back. It was so perfect and glorious that I was in another world—a world where I needed Casey to breathe.

His lips were amazing.

Casey broke away a breathless moment later, and he focused on me before pulling back as if he was startled.

"Are you crying? Oh, my gosh, you were saying something about not kissing me, and I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Summer." He sat up, showing me his hands like he didn't mean to scare me.

I laughed and cried at the same time, wiping at my eyes. "I'm not… I’m not crying because I'm… I didn't even know I was crying." I put my head down, unable to explain. "I'm overwhelmed right now. I like you more than I should, and I was going to say that I couldn't kiss you and I need to go home, but it's only because I wanted it to happen too much." I wiped at my cheeks. "That's probably what the tears are about. It's probably relief because I've been needing to. I'm just bubbling over emotionally because this never happens. I'm sorry. I’m not in love with you or anything." I cringed inwardly and clamped my mouth shut the instant those words came out of my mouth.

"You already warned me that you couldn't fall in love," he said. "I just don't want you to be crying because you didn't want me to kiss you."

I blinked. "I very much wanted you to do that. I, I just hardly know which w-way is up right now. We're going to have to go back to not doing any of this because we hardly ever get privacy."

"I know. And I'm sorry if you feel awkward about it now. I promise I don't feel awkward."

I smiled at him, but it was fake. I desperately wanted him to feel awkward. I wanted him to care so much. I wanted him to rescue me from my life and say I could settle down and have a normal life with him.

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