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“I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, and those last words you said to me about not being a distraction, and I realized something.”
My heart dropped as hope filled my chest. “What’s that?”
She surveyed me as she continued to speak. “I want you as a distraction. I want to learn more about you. Your favorite things to eat and the movies you like to watch. What type of music you like to listen to. What it would feel like to fall asleep in your arms.”
My eyebrows shot up, and I wiggled them as she giggled.
“Why did you tell me about that girl if nothing happened?”
I half shrugged. “I guess it’s because I want to be completely honest with you. I’ve never had a serious relationship before, and the last thing I want to do is fuck it up before we even try to get it started. I have a feeling if we do this, it won’t be easy.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “My father.”
“Yeah.”
When she peered back into my eyes, she wore a concerned look on her face. “Finn, I want…no, I need to be completely honest with you as well. My father and the fact that you’re a firefighter are my number one concerns about pursuing a relationship with you. The reasons for my father are pretty cut-and dry, but growing up I watched my mother worry every single day about my father. I’ve been to more funerals for firefighters than I have my own family. The idea of falling for you and something happening is probably my biggest fear. Then, of course, you have my job, which demands so much of my time. The odds are already stacked against us.”
I moved off the couch and kneeled in front of her. “Are those the only reasons you hesitated?”
Chewing on her lip, she slowly shook her head. “No. I’m not very…experienced when it comes to…stuff.”
Trying to keep a smile from tugging on my lips, I took her hands in mine. “What kind of stuff?”
Her cheeks turned scarlet. “Sex, boyfriends, relationships. I’ve only ever seriously dated one guy, and we didn’t have a very thrilling sex life. I was in school and he was in school and we spent more time together studying than anything.”
I lifted my hand and placed it on the side of her face. “Then we’ll do this slow.”
“And my father?”
“We’ll keep this between us.”
She g
rinned. “For now.”
My hand slipped behind her neck as I pulled her onto the floor in front of me. “For now,” I whispered against her lips before kissing her softly.
Her arms wrapped around my neck while we deepened the kiss. I’d never in my life felt such incredible energy as that kiss generated.
She slowly pulled back and rested her forehead on mine. “What about my job?”
“I’ll learn to share you. Plus I’m gone a lot with mine, so we’ll work it out.”
When she moved back and gazed into my eyes, hers filled with tears. “And yours?”
My heart ached. This is what my father and Preston had had to deal with when they were
firefighters. The fear in her eyes about killed me. “I promise nothing will happen to me.”
Shaking her head, she replied, “I know damn well you can’t make that type of promise, Finn.”
I cupped her face within in my hands. “Look at me. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
When she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, I did the same. I had just made her a promise we both knew I might not be able to keep. I’d do my damn hardest to make sure I didn’t break it, though.
“Do you have to go in to work today?”
Her eyes snapped open. When she smiled wide, I knew I had my answer. “I took the day off.”
