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Her lips parted, like she meant to say something, but abandoned that idea, her cheeks hollow and pupils wide.
He drew her in more, allowing himself the privilege of running his thumb over her cheek, despite the public setting, despite the selfishness of his move. “My past, it’s not a pretty story to tell.”
Her gaze held his, like she didn’t want to let go as much as he didn’t. “It’s still something I want to hear.”
“Why? Tell me, why?” His tone turned unintentionally rough, but as much as he didn’t deserve her, he wasn’t beneath trying to keep her. “So you can decide if I’m someone worth being with?”
She shook her head. “So I can trust you’ll be open with me about the not so pretty stuff. I deserve a chance to understand the man I’m dating.”
“Isn’t the man, himself, enough?”
“Do you know how unreasonable you sound right now?” She blinked at him, her expression still and not at all denoting humor.
He let go of her. Backed away. All the while, nodding to himself. He was being unreasonable, and just as she asked too much in wanting the truth, he asked too much expecting she could live without it.
“There’s not much between us that isn’t beyond reason. Starting with the way we met.” He held her gaze again, his small offering of honesty. “The stupid charade we’ve been playing around everyone…”
Her brow ticked upward, a small challenge of sorts. “You want to stop the charade?”
She tested his resolve. A test he deserved in light of his secrecy, a test he might just fail.
“The charade was fun at first”—he gave a fake, easy shrug—“but it’s not anymore. I know as the man here, I’m supposed to be the one chasing you. Just to break with tradition, what if I told you that I’m not ready yet? That I need a little more time?”
Hell. What a lie. If it were up to him, he and Sarah would be a done deal. As in, she’d be his forever. No ifs, no buts. But little was up to him here, even if she, and the future this town promised, did happen to be everything he’d ever wanted.
She lifted her chin and peered up at him with a dry and analytical stare. “I think that whole ‘chasing’ tradition extends to getting it on, which we’ve already done more than a few times. But yes, I can understand some things aren’t easy to talk about, and I’ll give you more time.”
“Thank you.” A sudden and fulfilling breath filled his lungs, her offer of more time an unexpected gift.
She squeezed her eyes shut, hinting she wasn’t done yet. “But someday soon, Dean, you’ll have to give me something to work with.”
