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“Whatever. I’m still going to be blunt. I like you. I think you gathered that.” I released her hands from mine and rested my hands on her hips, her hands on my shoulders. “But I want to see where this goes. And I hope you do too. But I don’t want to dick around. Pardon the French.”
“That’s not French.”
“Just listen, woman.” I squeezed her hips and pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her. She resisted for maybe a second before leaning into me. “We’re dating. Exclusively. And if you don’t want that, let me know right now. I don’t do things by halves. You’re either in or out.”
She was quiet for a long time. Too long, and I worked hard not to let panic overtake me and run my stupid mouth. She chewed on her lip, her breathing long and deep. Finally,fucking finally, she spoke. “I’m in. But—”
I silenced her with a kiss. Long and slow and yet urgent. I wanted to taste the remains of cinnamon on her tongue. I wanted to crush her against me.
“But what?” I asked.
She pulled back. “I don’t want to go too fast.”
“I won’t pressure you into anything you don’t want. For someone who loves words so much, you should know better than anyone that ‘no’ is a complete sentence.” I took great joy in echoing her words from class.
She smiled, a real and full smile. “Touché. I just don’t want you to think less of me the more you find out about me.”
“I find myself only growing more infatuated with you the more you let me in. So, I will be patient until you let me in.” I kissed her again. And again. And again. “Hot chocolate?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
She sat on a barstool while I poured the frothed milk into the melted chocolate.
“Oh, this is fancy hot chocolate.”
“Of course, I think you and I can both agree that sweets are nothing to mess around with.” I slid her a cup, topping it off with an obscene amount of whipped cream.
“I hate all the festivals the county puts on.” She sipped it and her eyes fluttered shut. “But I always go because I can never get enough elephant ears.”
“I’m aware.”
She looked around the kitchen, at the white granite countertops and silver appliances. “I knew you were well off, but this is probably bigger than my whole house.”
“Dad’s an attorney. Mom came from old money.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Do they know about me?”
“No,” I said. “Do you want them to?”
“Not really.” She laughed, taking another sip. “I know your parents, sort of. Almost everyone here knows them in some capacity. They’re—”
“Intimidating? Overwhelming? Overbearing?”
She tilted her head, looking at me as if I just divulged some deep secret. “I was going to say intense. They seem so serious. I don’t know, but I like that this is between us. Just us.”
“I like that too.”
And then the front door swung open. “Trask. Can you come help your mother with the rest of the things in the car? I know you’re here, I saw the location on your phone, where’s your truck?”
I groaned and Eliza's eyes went wide, looking from me to the door, to her clothes, and back at me. I swear her bottom lip wobbled and I kissed it quickly, murmuring in her ear. “It’s going to be fine, hang tight.”
She chewed her lip and nodded but I couldn’t help but notice the color fading from her cheeks. Were my parentsthatintimidating?
Yes, without a doubt. Yes, they were.
“Hey,” I said, intercepting my dad before he made it to the kitchen. “Just a heads up, I have a friend over.”
“Alright?” My dad scoffed, setting down the several bags he’d carried in. “Why the big announcement?”
