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Well, that question puts a damper on my mood. Many, many people give me a wide berth. I sigh. “It’s not my personality that’s the issue.”
He turns to face me. “Do peoplereallyfind you scary?”
“Apparently.”
“Because of the tattoos?”
“And my size.” I clear my throat. “And apparently, I have RCF.”
“Which is …”
“Resting criminal face.”
Orson cracks up laughing. “That’s not a thing.”
“You tell that to Mrs. Cleary. I swear she thinks I’m going to steal something every time I need to run into the general store.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
The amusement seeps from his face. “I thought everyone liked you.”
“The people who get to know me, sure. But there’s lots of people in this town who don’t want to get to know me.” I reach up to run my fingers lightly over his jaw. “Took us a while.”
“I know. But that wasn’t because I didn’twantto.”
“Did I scareyou?”
He immediately shakes his head. “Never scared. Intimidated, maybe.”
“What did it?”
He thinks for a moment. “You have this … presence.”
“Presence?” I echo, trying to work out what the hell that even means.
He nods. “You command a room. You’re confident and self-assured, even before I knew who you were. I paid attention when you were around. There’s something about you that had my attention. Made me want to keep looking.”
I crack a smile and lean in. “Did it ever occur to you, sweetheart, that you’ve been attracted to me this whole time?”
“Not until Ijustfinished talking.”
We both laugh, and I summon this confidence he thinks I have and step in closer. Every move I make has this giant question mark hanging over it, forcing my limbs slower, giving him a chance to pull away. I wrap an arm around his shoulders. “I’ve been attracted to you for a while too.”
“You have?” His hands settle on my hips.
“Yeah. There’s a presence about you too.”
His eyelashes flick up, gaze landing on mine, and the need to lean in and kiss him is strong. The way he’s got me all twisted up is addictive. I love it and hate it. Wish I could tell what he’s thinking, even as the unknown between us is so exciting.
“I’m ready to go back inside if you are.” His words come out on a whisper.
I take his hand, slotting my fingers through his, squeezing lightly. “I’ve been waiting for cuddle time all night.”
19
Orson
