That’s when she noticed that he’d cleaned up his beard. His neck was free of scruff and his beard had been shaped. She was so distracted from noticing the changes that she hadn’t realized he’d closed the distance between them entirely.
Jacob grasped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. His touch was warm and gentle.
And far too… intimate.
Her breath caught.
He searched her eyes then his focus dipped to her mouth when she moistened her lips. His thumb lifted and he pried her lower lip from between her teeth. “Do you still…”
A loud knock pounded on the door and Hallie gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin. She pulled away from him, immediately missing his warmth and the way his touch made her feel. “That’s Sammie and Caleb. The others are probably on their way.” She brushed past him and strode for the now open doorway, but Jacob grabbed her hand and stopped her from making a full escape.
“Hallie,” he rasped.
She forced her gaze on him when another knock sounded at the door. “I should probably go get that.”
“This conversation isn’t over, Hallie.”
“I don’t even know what this conversation is about,” she whispered.
“Liar.” His tone wasn’t menacing or hurtful. In fact, it almost sounded flirtatious. And when one side of his mouth quirked upward, she knew there was no way he was going to let her avoid whatever it was he wanted to say.
Hallie tugged her hand free and offered him a nervous smile. “I hope you like singing. It’s time for some karaoke.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jacob couldn’t sayhe regretted much in his life. There was the argument he’d had with his brother and the way he’d reacted after his brother had found something that made him fulfilled. There was the friendship he’d lost when Mackenzie had chosen her brother over Jacob. She was right to do so, but it didn’t make the hurt any less. His reaction to her had been wrong.
Right now, he was regretting opening his home to the half a dozen people in his living room currently dancing while Brent belted out the lyrics toDancing Queen. He refused to participate and not because he had a broken leg but because he was enjoying watching Hallie far too much.
She was laughing with Faith over something in the kitchen. It was probably about Brent’s terrible off-key singing.
There was one more thing Jacob regretted. While he continued observing Hallie, he couldn’t help the way his thoughts drifted to that night she’d told him she had feelings for him. She’d stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He could remember just how nervous she’d been. The way she fidgeted with her fingers in front of her. Even the way her voice trembled at the start.
He remembered thinking she was adorable.
Until she’d dropped the truth bomb.
Then everything had shifted.
Hallie had blushed, gotten embarrassed, and when he’d tried to let her down easy, the hurt had replaced it all.
If he knew then that his feelings for her could change so quickly, he wouldn’t have dismissed the possibility. Maybe there would have been a version of himself that asked her on a date just to see where things could go.
One thing was for certain.
He wasn’t going to let her avoid him again. She was skittish, sure, and she had every right to be. But they needed to have another discussion. He needed to know if her feelings had changed. Had he lost his chance with her? Would she be open to testing the waters?
Or had he officially lost his mind?
Ryker had given Jacob another perspective to consider. And Jacob was fully prepared for any fight Hallie might give him.
Her eyes locked with his from across the room and he fully expected her to look away. Especially when Faith followed her attention and caught on to who she was staring at. When Faith leaned in and said something, Hallie blushed and that was when she broke their connection. Could she tell his feelings had changed? Would it help his case?
“You okay, man?”
Jacob glanced up to find Tate standing at his side. The cowboy had one brow arched and he cut a look in the direction of hissister, but he knew better than to assume Jacob was looking at Faith. Understanding filled Tate’s eyes and he dropped down onto a chair, straddling it backward. His arms folded over the back and he grinned at Jacob. “So… the bug bit you, huh?”
Frowning, Jacob tore his eyes from Hallie to meet Tate’s. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
