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Her eyes widened. “You apologize?”
He tilted his head to the side. “I’m beginning to not like Loki.”
“What do you mean? What does Loki have to do with anything?” she asked, bewildered.
Guilt filled her even though it was silly.
She wasn’t in a relationship with Loki. Even though she loved him.
“You were surprised that I say please, that I apologize, that I let you go when you told me to,” he said with a hint of anger in his tone. “Makes me think he doesn’t do any of those things.”
Whoa. No. He was so off track.
“No, not Loki. He does those things, you’ve got the wrong idea.” She was practically stumbling over her words as she tried to get them out, to tell him how incorrect he was.
“Easy, baby. Breathe in. Now out. That’s good.”
His praise warmed her. Christ, she’d heard so little praise in her life. Only from her best friend and the occasional teacher.
“It was my dad,” she finally whispered. “A man’s man, if you get what I mean. No apologies, no saying he’s wrong; women are good for being in the kitchen and giving him boys. But my mom couldn’t do that. She gave him a useless girl. And then she died. Leaving him with a girl he didn’t want who could never be as good as a man.” She gave him a small smile, aware it probably looked bitter. “And I really didn’t mean to tell you all of that.”
He stared down at her thoughtfully. “My pa always told me that a real man admits when he’s wrong. And that there is no greater privilege than a woman’s trust. Her love. And when I had that, I should protect it. Never bruise it. You get what I’m saying, Isa?”
“I mean . . . sort of. But you’re talking like I . . . like we . . . and we barely know each other.”
He hummed, his thumb moving over her cheek. “I know more than you think.”
Crap. Did he really know her? Enough to actually want her?
And while she might be attracted to him physically, she likely knew even less about him.
Plus, there was Loki . . .
But was she going to go through life pining for her best friend? What if Loki found someone? Then she’d be alone. Sad. Pathetic.
“You’re nervous. I get that. So we get to know each other.”
“Are you saying that we, um, that we should date?” she asked.
“Yep. That scare you?”
Kind of.
But Isa was never one to back down from a challenge. And there was definitely a challenge in his tone.
“No. Why would it?”
His lips twitched. “Brave girl.”
She wasn’t, though. She was already having second and third thoughts.
“Give me a bit of trust and I’ll show you I’ll never abuse it.”
Isa shook her head with a small smile. “Damn, you’ve been saving up a lot of words. Good words, too.”
His mouth softened. “Years of words. Just for you, baby. All for you.”
Was he going to kiss her?
