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“Are you cold?” It was chilly, but I didn’t think it was enough to cause the tremor that ran through her.
“No. Just not a fan of water.”
I rested my chin on top of her head, breathing in the scent of spiced apples from her hair. She felt so good in my arms, and I wanted to focus on that rather than focusing on her fears, for the time being, anyway. “My dad abandoned my mom when she was pregnant. My brother and I never had contact with him, nor did we want to. But it left scars, not having a dad around, knowing that we didn’t matter. He reached out this year and wanted to reconnect.”
Winter twisted in my arms enough to read my expression. I braced for something cruel from her but found only concern.
“Did he explain why he left?”
I recalled confronting him and the proof he’d shown me. “He blamed it on my grandad. Even showed me the uncashed check from Grandad to get the hell out of our lives.”
“Oh.” Her mouth formed an O. “Why did your grandad want him away from your family?”
“He did some things when he was younger that my grandad found out about. Something dangerous. Joe—my dad—claims it was self-defense. It’s hard to know who to believe. People lie.” That last part I made a point about on purpose.
Her hand settled on my forearm, and the heat from her touch seared me. “Sometimes, they don’t lie. And sometimes, they don’t have any other choice but to. You should go with your gut on this.”
“Joe asked me to go into business with him.” I left out anything that had to do with my brother. That was on a need-to-know basis, and I was already going out on a limb letting her in a little. I shouldn’t, but something about her made me want to trust her. It was stupid, and yet, I couldn’t resist.
“Do you want to do that?”
“Go into business with him?”
She nodded, and I snorted. “I shouldn’t. It’s not smart, but I want to give him a chance. I respect my grandad. He was there for us every day, no matter what. But if Joe is telling the truth”—and I suspected he was, based on the bullshit Grandad had tried to pull with Aspen—“everything changes.”
Winter shifted, and I loosened my arms so she could turn and face me. Her hands slid up my arms, over my shoulders, then tangled in the back of my hair. Her touch soothed me and made me want to grab her and pull her beneath me.
When we were younger, I’d thought she was so pretty with her strawberry-blond hair and a smile that had made my stomach do backflips. And she was, on the outside. But darkness had swirled when I’d looked into those grass-green eyes with gold around her pupils. It should have warned me off, the glimpse into the cruelty of her soul.
I found none of that when I looked at her now. Kindness, concern, and a hint of longing were crystal clear.Can I trust myself in this?She listened, and it didn’t seem like she was judging me. My mind wouldn’t let go of the fact that she was the same person who had made me want to end it all.
I should hate her. My grandad would want me to. I couldn’t. I didn’t understand why. I wanted to hate her, to punish her. But the way she looked at me, how she felt in my arms, and when she touched me told me she wasn’t the same person.
I dropped my gaze to her full lips. Her fingers tightened in my hair, and when I met her eyes, what I saw told me she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
My hands found her waist, and I lifted her so her legs settled on either side of mine. Then I pulled her closer, moving slowly so she had time to pull back if she didn’t want it. I kept my touch light as I brushed my lips against hers. I had no reason to rush, and I kept a tight rein on my control.
Then I grazed her bottom lip with my teeth, and a shudder ripped through her. It was the response I needed, and I slanted my mouth over hers, pulling her close. I took my time exploring. Her tongue tangled with mine, urging me to deepen the kiss. I rose to the challenge, sliding my hand up her back until I had a grip on the hair at her nape. I angled her head, teasing her until she moaned and pressed impossibly closer. She tasted as amazing as she had during our first kiss.
It was easy to get lost in the feel of her, in the way she responded in my arms. On that thought, I slowed the kiss before breaking it. Our breaths crashed against each other’s. Goddamn, she was going to be a problem. The kiss hadn’t been part of my plan but rather because she’d listened to me. And maybe because she’d outgrown being an asshole.
I lifted her off me until she was seated next to me. Water softly lapped at the edge of the shore, and the light leached from the sky as the sun descended. It was time to head back to Thane and reality. Soon. I wasn’t quite ready to break the spell of our time together.
“Who are you, Landon? I know almost nothing about you.”
“Just someone who’s interested in you.” I was curious about hearing things from her point of view, as opposed to what I’d read online. “What was your childhood like?”
She stiffened beside me, but I didn’t turn my head to see her expression. Instead, I gave her time to break down her walls and let me in, as I had with her.
“It was pretty basic.”
I fought my reaction.Bullshit.Nothing about her childhood was basic. Everything we’d built between us imploded. She was a fucking liar.
“Hey, the cop asked me if I knew anything about the guy who died.”
I just bet he did. And the fact that she’d kissed the person responsible had to be of interest to the police.
“I thought it seemed weird. Did they ask you about it too?”
