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She dropped her weapon, staring up at him, realizing how different this felt from how Lacy had treated her. Everything Lacy had done was smooth, very experienced, almost planned. Porter’s affection felt spontaneous. Now that she could compare the two men, Porter was more sincere, by far. Her heart thudded as she realized that she was driving this moment between them as much as Porter was, which never seemed a thing with Lacy.
“My Angel,” Porter whispered.
His? Lacy had come up with that nickname first. Had she thrown out that name to torture herself?
“You got any last moves against me?” he asked.
Only one more.
Her lips moved, but nothing came out. She’d rather press them against his and end this torment of trying to be sensible. Cadence clutched to the tautness of his forearm as she tried to win herself time to talk herself out of this.
Porter actually seemed to like her in more ways than one. Not only was she drawn to him in irresistible ways, but they kept connecting on an emotional level. And from what she’d seen in town anyway, he was a good guy—kind to his family, responsible.
This is not talking myself out of this! I want to be with him more than ever.
There! Her heart felt like it was leaping out of her chest. That was a thought that scared her because–because what if she was wrong about his intentions? Having a future with Porter might be wishful thinking. In her desperate need to find something better for herself, was she imagining that he would want to even be in her life when things got hard?
Did she even have the right to ask him that?
She was already in anguish after what had happened with Lacy. Was she about to make things worse for herself?
Her hands tightened over him. His eyelids lowered over those brilliant eyes as he watched her with all the tenderness that she’d ever wanted.
Could she ask him what was on his mind? Why he was doing this? Would that ruin the moment? Did she care if it did? “Why are you flirting with me?” she asked.
Well, it was out!
The laugh lines grew more pronounced around his eyes. He lived his life with joy. She could see that now. “Maybe I like you,” he said.
“Maybe?”
“No maybes,” he said. “Does that scare you?”
Yes! And no… if he was telling her the truth, but how could she know? Her pulse thumped loudly against her ears. Could she trust what he was saying after everything that she had seen? Her life had consisted of one person leaving after another. She’d been a ward of the state, dependent on the kindness of others, helpless to the whims of cold reality.
“I’m not… used to trusting anyone,” she said.
That was an understatement.
His eyes filled with sympathy, and then something else that she wasn’t used to seeing. Strength? Protectiveness? “You can trust me,” he said.
Perhaps that was too much for her, or the fumes from the paint more like… or just really bad timing, but her legs suddenly felt weak, along with her stomach. The world dimmed at the same time her ears rang. She was going to faint!
Oh no! Porter was about to get his fill of pregnant lady very, very soon! Her hands loosened on him and she felt herself falling.
“Angel!” His voice sounded far away, though she felt his hands on her as he lifted her up when she should’ve landed hard against the plastic-covered floor.
Her fight for survival took over her tongue. “I need some… air.”
What was she? Some character fromGone with the Windswooning like this? She felt like a fool, and completely dependent on his strength again, as he easily picked her up with all the health of a brutish bull and carried her out into the fresh air.
Sky swiveled around where she was working on the cabin adjacent from them. She let out a cry. “Grey! There’s something wrong with Angel.”
Cadence grimaced, imagining how she must look. The paint was the same color as blood.
“I’m fine!” she tried to call out. It sounded like a croak and she realized that she’d need to accept all the help that she could get from these new friends. Sky ran back and forth, plying her with drinks while Grey worked on her.
“I’d loosen her clothing,” Porter said, “but… it’s already too loose. What could’ve happened to her?”
