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“That was probably too forward of me, wasn’t it? I suppose friends don’t say or do those types of things, but it just kinda hit me,” he admitted and walked over to her, extending a hand. “May I help you down?”
She nodded – and marveled at the way he held out his hand to her.
June put her fingers on his, and it reminded her of a famous actress having help stepping from a limousine to walk the red carpet. Her fingers were bent over his, in a very formal way – yet not. It was designed to aid, not a caress or more… and it surprised her at how delicately he treated her.
He treated her likehisflower… and she wasn’t sure how to react.
A part of her wanted to balk, yell, scream, or tell him to leave her alone so she could wallow in this self-inflicted isolation, but another part of her recognized just how different he was from Mark.
… And Mark was gone.
Not removing her hand from his, she swallowed and met Ian’s beautiful blue eyes as she slid off the console, putting her feet on the floor… and realized something was changing within her. The bitter anger and guilt that she felt was slowly fading, being replaced with something else. A curiosity and sense of wonder.
“Could I ask you a question?” she whispered, looking up at him.
“Yes, you can kiss me,” he replied immediately…. Causing her to start as an uncomfortable laugh escaped her.
“Nooo…” she drawled nervously, and saw his infectious smile.
“I’m teasing,” he whispered, bringing her fingers to his lips, kissing them gently and arching an eyebrow. “Unless you want to?”
“I was going to ask you a serious question, but not quite sure how to say it,” she hedged, and started to pull her hand away from his – only for him to hold fast to her fingers. She chuckled nervously and met his warm gaze.
“Just ask,” he said softly. “Don’t worry about propriety, just put it out there and talk to me.”
“Couldyoutalk to me?” she asked, repeating the words and realizing just how important it was to her, but afraid as well, because it was opening herself up. Mark had kept his secrets, and that was what had hurt her so much, the fact that he couldn’t reach out to her, or there was some unknown wall between them.
She felt her throat tighten at the understanding in his gaze, right before he brushed his lips against her knuckles once more.
“Have Ieverhad a problem telling you what I was thinking, my precious Minx?” he asked intimately, his voice achingly sweet as his breath brushed over the skin of her fingers. “I know I’m a lot to handle, but that’s because when it comes to the idea of us – my filter is broken. I’m struggling to hold back, because I don’t want to damage what this is with my enthusiasm.”
She choked out a tearful laugh, appreciating his words so much, and realized that everything he was saying was true.
Ian was like a runaway freight train, blasting through everything… only she was afraid to be a part of the wreckage left behind.
“If I have something bothering me, I will probably blab uncomfortably about it to the point that you might want to tell me to hush,” he smiled tenderly. “I enjoy getting you riled up, crave our moments like this, and thrive on our bickering. Don’t ever hold back from sharing what’s on your mind, because rest assured? I will share what’s on my mind easily enough.”
“Thank you,” she breathed.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he winked. “I’m not ready to step back yet, and I’ve got you in the perfect spot.”
“Oh?”
“Yep, the console and wall are to your back – and I’ve got a heckuva view of your front. That’s an incredibly beautiful cleavage…”
Her eyes widened measurably along with his smile, causing his eyes to crinkle more at the corners, right before he laughed softly under his breath.
“Is my sweet kitten speechless?” he asked softly, and adjusted his grip slightly on her fingertips, moving to drop a kiss on her wrist… breathing deeply and closing his eyes. “Oh goodness, you smell divine, June.”
The longing in his voice, combined with his words, made her heart stagger wildly at this outrageous man. He always had something to say, some way of garnering attention, and thrived on shocking her to her core.
“Gigi…” she blurted out nervously. “The puppy is outside.”
“Oh shoot…”
Ian dropped her hand, quickly opening the back door – only to see the pup sitting there patiently at the door, immediately wagging her tail. He scooped her up, kissing on her fur and nuzzling the little animal, before smiling at her.
“Why don’t we head out, June… so I don’t get myself into trouble by telling you what else is on my mind right now, in this very moment.”
