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“I’m not interested in dating,” Trace answered her original question. “Too busy.”And because no one measures up to you.But he didn’t think now was a good time to say that.
She tapped a fingernail against the truck. “But you make time for me.”
Where was this conversation going?“That’s different.”
“How so?” Her head tilted slightly. Moonlight glinted off her glasses and brightened her cheekbones.
His heart bounced. They hadn’t spoken of their kiss. Trace had respected Lilah’s wishes to pretend it never happened, at least in conversation. But this question was too direct to avoid. “Because I care about you.” He’d cared about Lilah for a long time, but “care” didn’t properly represent his current feelings. It was simply the safest answer at the moment.
“I care about you, too.”
From the pasture, Thunder nickered, probably expecting a snack. An owl hooted overhead. But Lilah’s sage-green gaze never left his. And under her stare, he knew he had to keep going. He had to tell her the truth.
“I want it to be more. Between us,” Trace admitted softly. His stomach flip-flopped. “I’m just not sure how to make that happen.”
“Are you worried what people would think?”
“No,” he said. “I’m worried about whatyouwill think.”
She eyed Trace from head to foot. He felt like he was being skewered by her look. “Why?”
There were a lot of answers to that question. The one that rose to the top was the fear of losing Lilah if he couldn’t love her like she deserved. “Honestly?”
She nodded, urging him on. “Yes, honestly.”
“I’m not great at relationships. I think my past speaks for itself.” Trace had a long list of broken relationships that had fallen apart for one reason or another. But in his thirty-eight years on this planet, he’d realized there was one common denominator in those relationships.Him. “I’ve been accused of being guarded, distant, cold. You don’t deserve that.”
“But you aren’t those things,” Lilah whispered. “Not with me.” Her hand, which was still on the tailgate, curled open, and Trace’s pulse quickened at the subtle invitation.
“I’m different with you . . .” He hesitated before lacing his fingers through hers. Courage gathered in his chest when she firmly locked her hand in his. “Because you make it easy. Iwantto be different with you.”
Lilah looked up from their interlocked hands. Her eyes swirled with want and worry. He instantly wanted to squelch the latter.
“I want to kiss you, Lilah. But I need you to tell me that’s okay. That it’s what you want, too.”
His breath quickened when she didn’t respond. Instead of words, she gripped his hand like a lifeline. Trace started to sweat, but after what felt like an eternity, Lilah finally murmured, “I want you to kiss me. I’m sure of it.”
Trace’s heart gave a kick, bringing him back to life. Gently, he guided their linked hands to rest against his chest, tugging Lilah forward. When she stepped close, Trace reached up with his free hand and eased Lilah’s glasses from her face, wanting to confirm the certainty in her eyes.
Lilah blinked up at him. Her long lashes rimmed a gaze that required all his attention. “Kiss me, Trace,” she said.
His pulse thrummed in his neck and Trace set her glasses on the tailgate. He was determined not to let Lilah ask again. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers and heat crackled between them. Embers ignited that had been smoldering for far too long, and Trace knew the blaze would be hard to contain. At least, for him.
Cautiously testing her limits, Trace ran a hand over her bare shoulder. He rolled his fingers down her spine. Lilah shivered in response, and Trace eased back, looking at her under the summer moon. The depth of her stare confirmed her quiver had nothing to do with being cold, and when Lilah ran a hand up his chest, Trace couldn’t breathe for a second. He needed her closer.
Taking hold of Lilah’s waist, Trace lifted her up and set her on the tailgate. Her green eyes flashed open in surprise, but a smile quickly settled on her pink lips.
“Trace Cardona,” she murmured.
Oh, how he liked this new way his name rolled off her tongue. He wanted her to say it again. And again. Satisfaction churned through him, resulting in his own smile. “Again?”
He inched closer when Lilah nodded. Sitting on the tailgate, she was eye-to-eye with him. She reached for him, and her delicate fingers grazed his neck, instigating goosebumps. Trace stepped between her knees and set his hands on her hips. Gripping Lilah, he pulled her to him in one quick motion. Her jean-shorts slid across metal and her bare legs wrapped around his waist. She gasped just before their lips met and the sound intoxicated Trace. He lost himself in Lilah, forgetting where he was. Trace wasn’t sure if a minute or an hour had passed before they broke.
Dazed, Trace stared at Lilah. She bit her bottom lip as it curled into a smile, slightly swollen from his kiss. Her cheeks had darkened with a blush. He wanted to see that look on her face every single day of his life, and he wanted to be the one who put it there every time.
“I liked that,” she whispered.
“Me too,” Trace replied. It was the understatement of the century.
