Page 59 of Holding Ground

“And now?”

“Now…now I don’t know. You’ve sort of upended everything for me.”

She bites her lower lip, and all I can think about is pulling it free with my teeth, but we should be having a serious conversation.

“You’re leaving in two months.”

Emelia draws in a deep breath and sighs. “I am.”

“I don’t know where that leaves us. And I have Baylor to consider.”

“Me neither.”

My hands itch to touch her again, so I wrap them around her waist, pulling her in. “No matter what is or isn’t going on between us, I can’t allow Baylor to get hurt.”

She rests her hand on my chest. “That we can agree on. She comes first.”

That’s what makes it so hard to stay away from her.

There are no easy answers here. I knew it before I kissed her, but not kissing her was no longer an option. I’m not going to insult her by suggesting we just hook up during her time here. Emelia deserves more than a quickie while Baylor is in school or after she goes to bed. Besides, as attracted to each other as we are, I don’t get the impression that’s really Emelia’s style.

“Would it make sense if we just take this as it comes? See what happens between us and make some decisions when it’s time for you to go back to Boston? You could be sick of me by our second date.”

She grins, resting her chin on my chest. “You’re going to take me out on a date?”

I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “Did you think I was just going to keep you tied to my headboard for the next couple of months?”

“I wouldn’t have complained.”

I chuckle. “I’m going to take you on dates, Emelia. But we can’t let Baylor know we’re anything more than what we are now.”

I hate putting that stipulation on this. I don’t want her to think she’s my side piece or that she doesn’t matter, but Baylor is already so attached. If she sees that we’re together, it will only deepen.

“Okay.”

“No roaming hands when she’s around?” I lift an eyebrow, asking if she can live with this. I don’t like it, and I hope she doesn’t either, but I hope more that she agrees to it.

“Who knows, maybe sneaking around will be fun. Like foreplay.” She winks.

I groan and drop my head back, staring at the black sky dotted with stars. “I have a feeling it’ll feel more like a slow form of torture.”

Emelia laughs, and I love that sound—and I love that I can finally admit that.

“Any chance you can knock off for part of the afternoon tomorrow?”

She tilts her head. “Probably. Why?”

“So I can take you on our first date. It’s time you find out why Echo Lake is called Echo Lake.”

Her smile catches at something I’m not ready to identify yet. “I’d love that. It’s a date. Officially.”

“Perfect. I think we need to seal it with a kiss.”

“Well, I mean…if you insist.”

I bring my lips to hers again. As I suspected, it’s just as good as it was the first time. Maybe better now that we’re finding our rhythm.

I’ll be okay as long as I don’t fall in love with her.