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Her eyes widened at his candid words. But he figured they were better than the other three little words. I love you. That he sensed would’ve had her running for the door.
Of course, by the fright in her eyes, these words might be having the same reaction.
“Griffin…” The rest of whatever she wanted to say stalled on her lips. Then her eyes cast downward as Walter rubbed against her leg.
Saved by a cat.
The moment had nearly turned disastrous because he couldn’t hold back his emotions.
“Or we can watch a movie or something.”
He’d said too much. Gone too far too soon.
She bit her bottom lip as her eyes lifted to his once again. Walter still circled her feet as if sensing she needed comfort.
“I guess this is a good time to confess my last secret.”
Whatever it was he could handle it. Hell, he thought he’d handled everything else pretty damn well thus far. She’d been lying to him since the moment he met her. Other people would’ve taken offense to that. Would’ve shoved her out of their life. He only wanted to pull her deeper into his.
“I’ve never…” Her eyes glided back to Walter, her cheeks blooming a deep red. “I’ve never been with a man before. I’m twenty-seven years old and I’m a virgin.”
He exhaled a slow breath, after holding it waiting for a blow that would crush him. Everything she’d said earlier would’ve brought him to his knees if he hadn’t been sitting down. But this confession? This was nothing compared to anything else she had said. If anything, he relished the idea he’d be the first man to love her thoroughly. The only man—if he had his way.
“I’m thirty-three years old and have only been with two women in my life. I guess you can call me a novice as much as you.”
She flinched at his admission. “You’re just saying that.”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
She drew a hand up and down, pointing at him, shaking her head. “Because you’re you. You’re the sexiest man in this town. The purest gentleman I’ve ever met. Kind to everyone you meet. A smile to die for. The softest touch imaginable. You’re a prime catch, and I find it hard to believe you’ve only been with two women.”
His heart swelled with pride at her comments. At the way she thought of him. That had to be an excellent sign that he’d be able to keep her forever in his life.
“Well, it’s true. I thought I’d marry my high school sweetheart, Holly. She was my first. Me, hers. We talked about our future and how many kids we’d have. I had always planned to become a cop. She wanted to eventually become the principal of our school. We went to the same college. We were inseparable until I moved back to town and she decided living here was not in her plans anymore. ThatIwasn’t in her plans anymore. That broke me. It shook my entire core belief in relationships. I threw myself into work and made the chief of police at age twenty-eight. It’s a small town. It wasn’t that hard as it could’ve been in a larger one. I settled into my position and felt more confident about myself for the first time in a long time. I started dating a woman a town over. When I thought things were getting serious, I invited her to move in. Take things to another level. She opened my eyes that she could never live here, surrounded by Christmas twenty-four-seven. Same as Holly. I guess, after that, I got gun-shy about women and my ability to keep them by my side.”
Her gaze filtered back to the floor as if telling him she fell into that same category. That, no matter what he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep her by his side either.
Well, he was willing to take the risk. To put his heart on the line again, even if the odds were stacked astronomically against him.
“I don’t want to screw this up.”
She read his mind. He didn’t want to screw anything up either.
Her eyes lifted back to his.
“I screw up everything I touch. I can’t do anything rig—”
“Stop it!” he hollered. “Don’t you dare speak about yourself like that. Don’t you dare take his words as gospel.”
Damn it. He frightened her by raising his voice. He hated the way she took a step back and cowered her shoulders.
His tone softened to a near whisper. “You’re perfect. In every possible way. If you think for one minute I believe anything like that about you, then you haven’t been paying attention to me.”
Her body relaxed, the tension draining from her features. Then she walked closer and placed a hand over his heart. It beat erratically and he needed her to feel that. To know he was terrified as much as her.
“I’m scared, Griffin.”
He didn’t move, even though he wanted to wrap his arms around her. He knew she was still on the verge of turning away from him.
