Page 43 of There I Find Happiness

“Really?” His tone was... She wasn’t sure. Was he annoyed?

“Yeah. I guess I could, but what am I supposed to do?”

She was trying to play it cool, like they were just talking about it and it didn’t mean anything, but that wasn’t really the way she felt.

“You’re supposed to kiss him back.”

“And how does that work?”

A breath huffed out of his nose, and maybe one corner of his mouth lifted up, and this time she was sure his thumb rubbed over her cheek because it wasn’t just a light touch that she might have imagined, but it stayed on her cheek, and rubbed a little circle there.

“I think that’s one of those things that you figure out as you’re doing it,” he said, and his words were low and murmured with a rumbling sound that made her stomach clench and hold on tight to her rib cage like it was bracing for a fall.

“Really? So, you’ll help me learn how to drive your horses, but you’re not going to teach me how to kiss?”

“I didn’t realize that was what you were asking me to do,” he said, and his eyes had gone from amused, to some kind of smoky heat that made her toes curl.

“Yeah. You said you’d help me with anything. I’m waiting for you to help.”

There, she all but asked him to kiss her. Of course, the clinical, let me teach you how to kiss kind of kiss was not exactly the kind of kiss she wanted from him.

She wanted more. Everything, to be honest.

Her mouth was completely dry as he stared down at her, and she thought for a moment that he was going to tell her no. Then his head moved closer.

Her fingers balled into fists at her sides and she waited, holding her breath.

“How old are you?” he asked softly.

“Sixteen. You know it.”

“Yeah. I do.” He swallowed hard, and his eyes, which had been holding hers, dropped to her lips.

He let out a shaky breath.

“If you still haven’t kissed anyone when I graduate from college, I’ll come back and give you all the kissing lessons you want.” He took another shaky breath, then his thumb touched her cheek once more, before his hand dropped and he stepped back. His voice wasn’t quite back to normal, but it was louder as he said, “You’re too young right now, and I’m not kissing you and then leaving for four years.” He grinned a little. “And I don’t think you really want to anyway. Regardless, I’m not kissing you until I graduate from college and come back home. And I don’t think you can wait that long so you’ll get lessons from someone else.”

“You’ll be back before that,” she said, unable to think of anything else to say over the bitter disappointment that backed up like bile in her throat.

“It’s possible. Cord Stryker out in North Dakota has some things he wants me to do, and Griff thinks I should work out west for a while so that’s probably a good idea.”

“Why haven’t you been talking to me about this?”

“Because every time I see you we talk about horses.” His lips flattened. “Plus, you have a life with your family now. You have parents, you’re with your sister, and you have school. You don’t need to hear about me.”

She wanted to hear about him. She wanted to know everything there was to know about him, but if she said that, she was afraid she was going to start crying.

“I’ll wait for four years. Just because you said I couldn’t,” she said, her eyes narrow.

There was a look that flashed across his face, almost a look of triumph, like he knew that was what she was going to say, but was gone so fast she couldn’t be sure.

“No you won’t,” he said, smirking at her.

Whatever spell had been between them was broken, and she found that instead of wanting to kiss him, she wanted to stomp her foot and march away angrily.

“Oh yes I will. You just wait and see if I don’t.”

“All right. I will.”

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