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Leila backed away a little bit but didn’t want to break the spell that tied them together. “You imagined kissing me?”
He ticked his brow up. “Oh yeah.” His voice was raspy. “That and so many other things.”
Heat creeped around her neck.
“But those other things can wait. This couldn’t.” He brushed her hair behind her ears and held her head in his hands. “I wanted to kiss you Thursday, but my cousin spoiled that, then today—well, thank you Jonathon.”
A laugh escaped from her gut and broke the spell between them. “A kiss Thursday night might have been nice, but this was perfect.”
“Might have been nice?”
She shrugged. “Well, you know, then I wasn’t sure if I was that into you. You’re scared of heights. I don’t know if I can be with a guy who’s scared of something as simple as heights.”
“Really?” Laughter filled his eyes as they roamed her face. He brushed her cheek lightly with the back of his hand. “Thank you.”
He became serious, and she leaned into his touch. “For what?”
“You tore down all the tough guy walls I built around myself and gladly hid behind for years.” He cupped the back of her neck in his hands. “You made me fight for you. I appreciate that, more than you know.”
She swallowed hard, and her expression grew serious to match his.
“Leila, meeting you has done something to me, made me realize a relationship can be so much more than . . . than just—” He sighed. “Then just sex. I want more with you. I want to spendtime with you, get to know you. Get to know Skylar. But there’s something I’m scared of more than heights.”
“What?” she whispered. This man, who just a few short months ago was an egotistical womanizer, now admitted to being afraid. She placed her hand on his cheek and could feel the stubble against her skin. Scratchy, yet soft. Just like his heart.
He took her hands in his and intertwined their fingers. “I’m scared that you won’t be able to see me as someone you could be with.” He glanced out the window.
“Hey.” She jerked his arm until he looked at her again. “That kiss should have shown you I think differently now. You’re so much more than what I thought. Honestly, I think you’re surprising yourself too.” She stood on her toes again and pressed her lips to his gently, willing him to understand that she no longer saw him as the egotistical, self-absorbed asshole she once did. He was so much more than that.
His hands held hers tight, and he touched their foreheads. She could feel him breathing like he was sorting through feelings. That was good. She needed to also. She gave him an extra minute.
“The rain stopped,” she whispered.
“Yeah, we should go. Everyone should be at the house, and who knows what they’ll think.” His smile was confident and all Adler once again.
“Yeah, who knows.” She grinned wide.
He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Let’s go, beauty.”
Her heart melted.
Chapter 17
Adler took the ride back to the stables slowly. He didn’t want his time with Leila to end. It was typical July after a harsh rainstorm. Bright, clean, hot, and extremely humid. A dip in the pool would be welcome.
As they rode in silence, he stole glances at her. Most of the time, she was taking in the scenery. How he wished he could get inside her head and hear what she was thinking. Their time in the cabin was better than he hoped. He silently thanked the storm for making it more perfect. He’d wanted, no needed, to kiss her for days, and things between them were so intense on the 4th of July that he couldn’t wait for today, to see her again.
He’d dreamed of holding her and kissing her, but the dream was nothing compared to reality. She made him feel things, real things, that he didn’t realize he wanted to feel. He had an intense need to be near her, to talk to her, to touch her. He loved the warmth that radiated through him from deep in his gut when they were together. He’d felt it for the first time whenthey danced at the wedding, then again at the carnival. Today in the cabin, he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame, and he couldn’t take his eyes from her. Even now as they rode in silence, and he watched as her body moved in a gentle rhythm with the horse, there was a connection which bound him to her and made his stomach clench with need.
She caught him watching her. “What?” Her smile lit up her face when she uttered that one simple word.
God she was a picture of perfection, and she had no clue what she did to him. His heart skipped, and he shook his head. “Nothing.”
“You’re staring at me. It makes me uncomfortable.” She looked away shyly.
That made her even more beautiful. The flush that crept up her neck and splashed color on her cheeks when she got embarrassed was endearing. He didn’t think she realized how amazing she really was. “Get used to it. I can’t keep my eyes off you.” The corner of his mouth ticked up when she turned toward him.
She rolled her eyes toward the sky, and he laughed a deep guttural laugh. She blushed and squirmed a bit in her saddle.
