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I don’t have time to process his words before his lips descend on mine. His lips are firm yet soft, just how I remember them. The kiss is gentle, but something tells me that it’s for my benefit and not his. I don’t know how long we stand here under the parking lot lights, kissing, as I grip his shirt, trying to get closer. However, when we both need to come up for air, he slowly breaks away and rests his forehead against mine.
“Tell me that was okay.”
“That was okay.”
He pulls back to look at me. He must like what he finds because he nods and then pulls me into his arms, hugging me. It’s the best hug I’ve ever received. My parents were never affectionate. I didn’t really know that’s how families were until I moved to Willow River. Out of all of the hugs I’ve ever received in my lifetime, this one is my favorite.
“I should let you get home. It’s late.” He makes no move to release his hold on me. “Will you text me when you get home? No, call me when you get home.”
“I’ll be fine, Deacon. I just live in the apartments a few blocks away.”
“I’ll follow you home then.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
He raises his hands and moves them toward my face. I flinch, not because of him but because it’s hard to let go of my past. “I’m going to cradle your cheeks,” he whispers. I nod, and he moves in slow, pressing a warm palm to either side of my face.
“We’re going to work on that, baby. I never want you to worry that I will ever hurt you. You never have to worry about that with me. I just wanted to feel your soft skin and explain to you that although you might feel as though it’s unnecessary for me to follow you home, for me, it is. I need to know you’re safe.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I don’t have to, Ramsey. I choose to. There is a huge difference between the two.”
“I guess we should get going?” I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell him that he makes my heart race. I can’t tell him that I love that he’s concerned about my safety. I can’t tell him that even though I flinched, I crave his touch.
“I’m parked around front. Drive me to my truck?”
“Sure.”
My breath hitches when he leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. He then drops his hands and reaches for my door, pulling it open. He waits until I’m inside before jogging around to the passenger side and slipping into the seat.
I drop him off at his truck, wait for him to get settled, and pull out onto the road. Willow River is a small town, so the traffic at this time of night is nonexistent. We make the short drive to my apartment with me glancing in my rearview mirror every ten seconds. Deacon parks next to me and rolls down the window.
“Call me when you get inside.”
“Deacon, I’ll be fine.”
“I know. Just humor me.”
“Okay. Thank you for looking out for me.” He nods, and I turn and walk away before I do something like beg him to stay with me. Once I’m inside, I turn on the lights, make sure the door is locked, and pull up the text message thread from earlier. I quickly save his name and number into my contacts and hit Call.
“You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good. The door is locked and deadbolted for the night. I’m taking a shower and going to bed.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Deacon.”
“Night, Rams,” he says, and the line goes dead.
ten
Deacon
I’m pacing my living room floor and have checked for messages on my cell phone so many times today, I’m surprised the battery isn’t dead. I scan my house to make sure everything is in its place and there are no dirty socks lying around. I’m a pretty clean guy for a bachelor, all things considered. Never in the past have I ever worried this much. Hell, Ramsey has been here before. Multiple times, in fact. She and Palmer have used my pool on several occasions, but I’ve never been here. I’ve always been at the office.
My sisters both call me a workaholic, and I used to brush them off. I was working on building my career and being someone that Mr. Patrick and Mr. Gordman wanted to sell their practice to when they retired. I’ve been working more hours a week than any one person should, and sure I have my career, but nothing else to show for it.
I never really noticed that until I met Ramsey. Since I have, I can’t stop thinking about her and how she would fit into my life. I don’t date, I don’t have time, but now I might want to start. I always thought it would be difficult to visualize a woman fitting into my life. My work can be long hours, and that’s not fair to anyone. However, now that I want to have someone to share my life with, I realize that I brought it all upon myself. I work because that’s all that I have.
