“That’s a bit ironic, coming from you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Emma, you showed up in the middle of the night and never left—not that I’m complaining. You’ve never made mention of your life in Atlanta, except when you told me that you’d broken up with your boyfriend and gotten sacked in the same day.” He raised an eyebrow, daring me to contradict him.
“Okay, so we’re both running away,” I conceded. “So what does that make us? Rebels? Outlaws?”
“Human,” Dan answered. “Just two humans trying to figure things out.” He rose from the table carrying his bowl. “Are you finished?” He tilted his chin at my bowl and I was surprised to find it empty.
“Let me help you clean up.” I sprang to my feet.
“I’ll wash, you dry,” he called to me over his shoulder as he filled the sink with water.
“Speaking of rebels and outlaws,” I said as I arranged the newly washed dishes in the drying rack, “I still haven’t decided what I want to do about the farm, but I realized something today at the game.”
“Yeah?” Dan asked. “What’s that?”
“I like it here,” I whispered, and for some reason my heart began to hammer in my chest. “I like the town, the people, the farm. Everyone is so warm and welcoming. When someone asks ‘How are you?’ they wait and listen to your answer. I love that no matter how bad I think my issues are, the chickens still need to be fed and the cows still need to be milked… and I like myself when I’m here. I love being a part of something bigger than me. I feel like I’m living someone else’s life and it feels… I don’t know… normal and good. But it’s all so fucked up because… because there’s an illegal drug operation that helps sick people, and, despite being able to run in five-inch heels, I can’t walk five steps without tripping over my feet in work boots. I’m happy and it feels strange and, well, it can’t possibly last. I don’t belong here. I’m just—” Dan dropped the sponge he was holding and pressed a soapy finger to my lips with a smile.
“I didn’t think I belonged here, either, until one day I woke up and realized I did. Most of that was because of the illegal drug operation that helps sick people, but it was also because, for the first time in a long time, I was living my life for myself, on my own terms, surrounded by people who were genuine and kind. If this place makes you happy, then maybe you shouldn’t fight it. Most good things in life don’t last, so why not enjoy it while you can?” He removed his finger from my lips and took a step closer to me. “Are there any specific people in this town that you’re particularly fond of?” His dark brown eyes bored into my mine, and I reached up, wrapped my arm around his neck, and pulled him closer.
“Well, King Richard is starting to grow on me.” I pressed myselfup on my tiptoes and rubbed my nose across Dan’s, our lips dangerously close to brushing. “But he’s not a person, so…”
Dan huffed out a chuckle before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling our bodies together.
“I like you, Dan,” I whispered without a hint of playfulness. This moment felt scary but necessary. “I’ve never met anyone like you, anyone who makes me feel about myself the way you do.”
“I like you, too, Emma,” he whispered back and pressed our foreheads together. “You’re sort of impossible not to like—not that you haven’t tried to make yourself unlikable.”
“Shut up.” I playfully slapped him on the chest.
“I, for one, am glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad I’m here, too.” I wasn’t only glad to be in this town; I was also glad to be in this kitchen, in the arms of this impossibly gorgeous man who saw me. I’d felt more myself on this farm with Dan than I had in ten years with Teddy. There was always pressure to achieve more, be the best, be perfect. With Dan, I could just be myself, an imperfect person I was still discovering.
“Emma?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been waiting over two weeks to kiss you again.”
“My breath smells like curry.”
“So does mine.” He chuckled.
“Good point.” I brushed my lips over his before I tightened my grip on his neck and pulled our faces together.
CHAPTER NINE
We kissed for a long time. Seconds turned into long minutes of reckless abandon, during which Dan peeled me out of my baseball jersey, then my T-shirt, leaving me in only my bra and jeans. He trailed kisses along my collarbone and chest. His beard tickled the sensitive skin of my breast exposed by my bra, making my arms erupt in goose pimples.
“All right, Emma?” Dan whispered in my ear. His nose dragged along the shell until he sucked my earlobe into his mouth and grazed it with his teeth.
“Yes.” I sighed. “But—”
Dan froze, pulled slightly away from me, and his eyes met mine.
“—would you mind if we went upstairs?”
