Page 100 of Unsure in Love

I rolled my eyes at him still calling me that in adulthood. “I’m fine. I didn’t mean to cause a panic, I swear. I accidentally left my phone at home.”

He exhaled and then pulled me into a hug. “I came after you the other night.”

“Really?”

He pulled back to smile down at me. “Of course, I did. Julian did too. We searched for you almost all night.”

My lower lip quivered. “Oh. I thought…”

“You thought, what?” Nic asked softly.

One tear trickled down my cheek. “That I was the worst and you’d be mad at me, too for upsetting Lucy.” I dashed the pesky tear away, hating that I cried at the drop of a hat now.

He sighed. “What happened was between you and your sisters. I love all of you. Don’t ever run off and disappear like that again, you hear me?”

I gave him a wobbly smile and nodded. “I’m sorry.” Nic had been the older brother we never had growing up, and I hated that I’d caused him any stress.

He nodded and then looked around. “Whose place is this?”

“Mine.”

“What?”

“Another secret,” I mumbled and shrugged. “How did you find me?”

“I didn’t.” He gestured to Damian. “He did. I called him last night to let him know what was going on. I can’t believe he reached this side of the country so fast.”

Damian, who had stepped aside while Nic and I talked, remained impassive even though he watched me closely.

Nic glanced at Damian and then at me. “I'll leave you two alone, but you have to promise you’ll come home and talk to your sisters this evening. Lucy has been beside herself, thinking she’s at fault for your disappearance.” He rested his hands on my shoulder. “Please, Cass, talk to her. She’s super hormonal. I see her in tears every other minute, and it breaks my heart every time.”

My lips twisted into a slight smile. Poor Nic. “Are you sure she wants to see me? Maybe it’s best if I stay away for a while. She was so angry.”

“She wants to see you,” he reassured. “I’ll see you later, right?”

I nodded, but I dreaded facing Lucy and the others.

When Nic drove out of the driveway and disappeared, the silence hanging between Damian and me became too heavy. “Someone should say something,” I whispered.

His expression darkened. “Fine, here’s what I have to say. It was irresponsible of you to disappear for days without letting anyone know where you were.” He surveyed the surroundings with a scowl. “This is the fucking middle of nowhere, and you’ve been here alone. Are you nuts? The things that can happen to a woman alone in the goddamn woods make me shudder.”

I gawked at him as he ranted. “I’ve mentioned that you’re a tad too paranoid, right?”

His glare increased in intensity. “I’ve never wanted to throttle and kiss someone at the same time before.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m experiencing an interesting combination of emotions here.”

After a beat, I snickered.

“Oh, you find my distress funny, do you?”

Winding my arms around his shoulders, I grinned. “I don’t care for the throttling but I’ll take the kiss.”

I felt the tension seep out of him as his expression softened. As his gaze dropped to my mouth, I stood on tip toes, meeting him halfway. Our lips brushed and it was enough to ignite a fire inside me. I really loved this man. Our kiss was incredibly sweet and leisurely, his mouth and tongue gently teasing mine. At this moment, everything else faded, including the world around me and the tension between me and my sisters.

It was just me and Damian. When we finally came up for air, I whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He tilted his head to study me as if he didn’t quite believe what I said. Of course, he didn’t. He likely thought I’d been avoiding him because I hadn’t called him.

“Let’s go inside,” I suggested.