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“I think he was a dancer.”
His brows lifted. “You don’t mean—”
She nodded, a blush filling her face. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
He snorted derisively. “Then he most definitely doesn’t belong here, Bri.”
“Do you think hecould,though? What if he learned? I don’t think it’s right for me to hold his past against him.”
While her words weren’t meant to point out that he had his own sordid history, he couldn’t help the twinge of discomfort that came with them. If she’d judged him based on his criminal record, then he would have had a better chance trading professions successfully with Tad than getting Brielle to fall in love with him.
She let out another sigh. “I just got mad at him because he was making these assumptions about the kind of guy he thought I needed in my life. It’s the same thing everyone around me does, and I’m sick of it.”
Wade found himself inching closer to her. “What kind of man do you want in your life?”
Her eyes flitted up to meet his. “I caught that.”
“Caught what?” Even to him, his tone sounded like he was trying far too hard to sound innocent.
“You’re not like anyone I have ever met before.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
She seemed to ignore his statement, closing the distance between them. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. “You say it how it is, even if what is coming out of your mouth sounds ridiculous.”
“Ouch,” he muttered.
The sting of her words was only lessened slightly by the way her features brightened along with her smile. “It’s not a bad thing. I never have to wonder what your intentions are. Every single thing you’ve said to me… I guess it’s refreshing,” she said.
“It is?”
She nibbled on her lower lip and nodded. A breeze flittered between them, playing with the leaves, flowers, and tall grasses. It tugged and played with her hair despite a ponytail securing most of it behind her head.
One strand of her hair got pinned against her cheek, drawing his focus. While staring at that hair, itching to tuck it back into place, he whispered, “I’m glad you feel you can trust me to be honest with you.”
“It’s more than that. I know I’m safe with you—that you’d never do anything to hurt me.”
His focus shot to meet her eyes, praying that she didn’t say those words to put additional distance between them. There were so many things she could mean by saying something like that. She could be telling him that she viewed him like she viewed her family. He could be a platonic friend—or like a brother.
His stomach knotted, twisting angrily at the notion that he might have inadvertently put himself into the friend zone. Working his jaw, Wade shook his head. “I would never hurt you, Bri.” He took a deep breath, and his voice lowered further. “But I can’t say that I’m your safest option.”
Her eyes rounded briefly.
“If you knew just how much my heart burns for you, I don’t think you’d feel nearly as safe as you do. I’ve learned to control that wild side of me—out of necessity.” Unable to hold himself back, he reached up and brushed that maddening strand of hair behind her ear, then cupped her cheek with his hand. “You don’t know what it does to me to see you with another man, the strength it takes to stand back and let you make decisions that could cause you grief.”
He’d half-expected her to pull away from him. The words he was saying weren’t the smartest. Hadn’t he just told himself to bebetter? To be more like Tad and his overly romantic self? That was what Bri wanted, right?
Well, that wasn’t him. And as much as he knew it might be a mistake, he had to be honest.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Bri. If something happens and you get hurt, IknowI won’t be able to control myself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she rasped.
He shook his head. “You don’t really want an answer to that question.”
“What if I do?”
Once again, he avoided answering. Wade studied her face, bringing up his other hand to trace his fingers along her jawline. “You deserve to be happy, but you also deserve to find your mate—someone who you can count on to lift you up when you feel like breaking and cheer you on when you’re already winning.”
