I don't even have to think about the answer. "Because you're the only person I've ever met who made me want something I wasn't already winning at. And you're the only one who has ever scared me."
She meets my gaze, her eyes soft, and I see the truth in them, the vulnerability she hides from the world. I scare her, too. I think I scare the hell out of her, and she has absolutely no idea what to do about it.
She's spent so long being told she isn't enough, the thought of finally being enough to anyone is, quite possibly, the most terrifying thing in the world to her.
"Don't run," I whisper.
She hesitates and then nods.
I pull her down for another kiss, promising myself that I'll do whatever I have to do to prove that she's safe with me. Even if I have to wear a fucking leotard to do it.
Like I told her the day we met, I'll pay whatever price she wants, whenever she wants me to pay it. The only thing I'm not willing to do is let her go.
Chapter Six
Sophie
By the time dinner rolls around, I'm nervous in a way I've never been before. I know what this date signifies, and I'm very well aware of how it might end. But…I think I'm ready for it.
I'm ready for Harlan.
At least, that's what I tell myself until I descend the stairs and find him waiting at the bottom in a tux that looks like it was designed perfectly for him.
God, he's the kind of beautiful that makes me stupid.
His denim eyes run up and down my body, his expression heating. "Jesus," he mutters, reaching for my hand before his lips touch the corner of my mouth. "Just when I think you can't get any more beautiful, you prove me wrong, baby. You look ravishing."
I smile, my heart fluttering. "Not a bad opener, Captain."
He just grins before yanking me up against his chest. "I brought you something."
"Not flowers," I groan.
"Of course not. You hate them."
"You remembered," I say, a little surprised. Most guys think I'm joking about that, but I'm really not. A girl can only have so many flowers thrown at her feet before they lose their charm.
His eyes meet mine. "I remember everything you've told me about you, Sophie." The way he says it makes it impossible to doubt him. He reaches into his pocket and then holds out his hand.
A shocked laugh burbles from my lips when I see the plastic medallion dangling from his fingers on a blue and white ribbon. "Are you serious? You got me a gold medal?"
"You won the race," he says, smirking at me. "Thought you deserved an award for your efforts."
I take it from his hand, only to laugh even harder when I see that he scratched out1st Place Ski Championand scrawled1st Place Cheaterin its place in black Sharpie.
"Where did you find this?" I ask, grinning like a madwoman as I slip the ribbon over my head so the medallion settles between my breasts.
"At the sports store in town." He scratches the scruff on his jaw. "They didn't know what the fuck to think when I asked for a leotard big enough to fit me."
I clap a hand over my mouth, choking on laughter.
"Hope you like hot pink, ballerina," he mutters. "Because that's what I got."
"Seriously?"
"Yep, a Drag Queen helped me out."
I stare at him with wide eyes, but he's completely serious. "Your afternoon of shopping was far more interesting than mine, Harlan," I finally sputter through laughter. "All I bought was a new pair of panties."
