Page 40 of Forever After All

Linc scoffed. “Now I’m not worried at all. Jess, you need to drive yourself so you can leave if you need to.”

“I drove myself to the date with Hanson, and he turned out to be a gentleman.” She’d been overly cautious with Hanson because he was pretty much her first date ever, but she’d probably been wrong to put up a ton of walls before giving him a chance. “This guy seemed like he really wanted to pick me up like it was arealdate.”

Had her emphasis on the word real been intended? Yes. The least Lincoln could have done was identify the short amount of time they’d spent together at the wedding. If he’d just said it was a date, she wouldn’t be waffling over everything right now.

Linc clinched his jaw and turned toward the door. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he pressed his lips together.

Ugh. She hadn’t thought about his lips until they had the kissing talk a few weeks ago. Why had she brought it up? Now she thought about kissing whenever he was around.

Did he have to have such great lips? It was distracting in a way she didn’t need.

He finally swung his gaze back to her, but he wasn’t taking it easy on her. His look said he would give it back to her as fast as she’d give it to him.

Was she ready for that?

“What did you learn from the last date?” he asked in a whisper. It didn’t help that his words had been so low she’d been forced to read his lips.

Why was he questioning her? She might not like the whole dating thing, but she could do it on her own. She didn’t need his pushback. “That I know what Idon’twant.”

Linc’s dark eyes held hers. “What’s that?” The small wrinkle in his brow said he was very interested in her answer.

Oh, no. She hadn’t expected him to actually ask her what that was. She wanted to back the truck up and erase that part.

“Jess, whatdoyou want?” There was no joking in his question. This man wanted the truth, and he wanted it straight.

She wanted a man she was sure about. If she was going to add love to the mix, it had to be worth the risk. It needed to be epic and life-changing.

Jess froze, staring at Linc as he waited on her answer.

Maybe she didn’t want life-changing. Maybe she wanted what she already had.

Lincoln North.

No. He wasn’thers. He was her friend. Her co-worker, even. That was different. It wasn’t romantic. It was the definition of platonic.

Her carefully constructed walls started cracking. Linc wanted an answer, and she wasn’t capable of lying. She never had a problem being honest with him.

Why was it difficult right now? She could usually speak her mind, but not about this. Not when Linc might look at her differently if she said something that changed the dynamic of their relationship when he wasn’t on board.

She still hadn’t answered him, and he was looking at her like he was ready to set up a tent and camp out until she came clean. Heat rose under the collar of her shirt and spread up her neck. She had to say it because it was the only response she knew.

I want you.Why wouldn’t the words come out?

Lincoln broke his stare, and Jess inhaled like she hadn’t taken a real breath in years. He hung his head before looking back up at her. “Just be careful, okay?”

Jess nodded. A lot. She kept nodding until he stood.

He rapped his knuckles on the table. “Call me if you need me.”

Turning the words over in her head, she watched him walk out of the dining hall. What constituted need? Did that require an emergency?

Was she looking for an excuse to call him?

Emerson stepped over the bench and sat in the seat Linc had just vacated. It was probably still warm, but Emerson was replacing that coziness with ice.

Jess gave Emerson a side glare. “What?”

Emerson scoffed. “Hey to you too, sis.”

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