“Other than the bar,” he repeated. “Like here…or my place.Alone.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly. “Wouldn’t that just be feeding into the temptation?”
I shifted onto my hands and knees and crawled forward, watching the way his gaze heated as I brought my face directly in front of his. “Isn’t feeding into the temptation part of us trying to figure this out?”
He leaned in, his lips feathering over mine. His eyes shimmered with an unspoken conflict—a war between wanting and warning. Whether his hesitation was about my brother, work, or something deeper, I couldn’t tell.
His breath came out shaky. “We’ll see what happens. But I…Haley, I can’t promise you anything…”
The vulnerability in his voice worked its way under my skin. It stung, but it was honest.
“I’m not asking you to promise me anything. I’m just asking for us to stop fighting so hard against whatever this is.”
Chapter 23
Haley’s breathcame in ragged gasps, her skin flushed with exertion. Slowing to a stop, she arched her back before resting her hands on her thighs.
“Why’d you stop?”
She lifted her head, eyes finding mine. I’d barely broken a sweat.
“Listen, when I suggested hanging out outside of work, I didn’t envision that involvinganythingto do withrunning,” she said between breaths.
I huffed out a laugh and made my way back toward her. Maverick’s leash was clutched in my hand, the furball trotting happily beside me.
Bending down, I dipped my head by hers with a smirk. “I thought part of figuring things out was letting you in on my hobbies?”
She snorted. “I can appreciate your hobbies withoutparticipatingin them.”
“It’s only been twenty minutes.”
“I’m not a runner. That’s eighteen and a half minutes too many.”
I chuckled. “Come on, then. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
Things had been going okay. It’d only been a couple of weeks, and we were still navigating how to do this whole not-fighting-it thing without drawing suspicion from anyone at work—other than Marie, who, according to Haley, guessed all on her own—or Wes and the rest of the gang.
Nothing had changed, but at the same time, everything did. The ground felt uncertain beneath me, subtle tremors of change running beneath the surface every time I looked at her.
We’d spent time together that didn’t involve the hospital or going to The Rusty Anchor, much like now—we were at the park for a late morning run. And alone, things were more perceptible between us: the playful flirting, the lingering looks, the “accidental” brushes. We kissed. We’d slept together a couple of times. Because we weren’t fighting itashard.
I was still holding back, however.
When I told Haley I couldn’t promise her anything, I meant it. It wasn’t because I didn’t feel this thing between us. If anything, I felt ittoomuch. But that was the problem. There were bigger ramifications than just Wes and work, and I worried about what would happen if I allowed myself to feel it any more than I already was. I couldn’t let myself go there.
Not again.
Not likebefore.
Not when I knew the damage it could cause.
A few nights after our run in the park, I found myself at Lucas’s and Callie’s house with Wes, Morgan, and Gabe for dinner on a Friday night. It’d been a while since we’d gottentogether away from The Sandbar. Haley was invited, but she had plans with Marie that night.
We were sitting outside beneath their covered outdoor entertainment area—early November brought cooler weather, but Lucas spared no expense when building this place, adding a fireplace and heaters as needed.
Morgan and Callie were sitting on the ground, showering Maverick with attention. “Blake, you said you’re off the weekend before Thanksgiving, right?” Callie asked.
