"You do?"
"I mean, I don't get that," I mutter, not wanting to pretend I know what it's like when I don't. "My parents have always been madly in love. I just mean…I can understand why you'd want to do your own thing and let them work it out for themselves."
"Want to know a secret?"
"I want to know all of your secrets," I say, completely serious.
"They're the reason I didn't want to go out with you," she says, her voice soft. "You're a big enough pain in my ass already."
"You scared you're going to fall for me, Serena?"
"What? No." She scowls at me.
I just smirk at her, my heart thudding against my ribcage, because yeah, that's exactly what she's afraid of, even if she won't admit it. She likes me more than she wants to admit. And that scares the hell out of her. Christ, her parents really did a number on her.
That's all right, though. I've got the time and patience to undo it and show her that relationships don't have to end that way. They don't have to be war zones and battlefields. They can be a soft place to land.
"My parents married young," I murmur. "They were still in college when they had me. They've been crazy about one another since the day they met. Everything I know about relationships, I learned from them."
"Says the man who swore off love," she says, taking a sip of her wine.
"I didn't swear it off," I protest. "I just saved myself a little frustration."
"Uh, I'm pretty sure it was your face plastered all over the gossip sites last week, with headlines saying that you were never falling in love."
"They misquoted me. I said I'm focused on the game, not on a relationship," I correct. "I didn't say I'd never fall."
"Semantics."
"I'll show you semantics."
She grins at me, her eyes light. "So, you just want casual flings, not a relationship."
"Fuck no." I pin her with my gaze, letting the words hang between us.
She's unsteady on the other side of the table, her wine glass trembling a little in her hand.
"Just so we're clear, this isn't casual, princess. You and I—" I tap the table for emphasis, then pointbetween us, "—are endgame. Not a hookup, not a distraction. I'm just patient enough to wait until you're caught up to me."
She goes still, her fingers tightening around her fork. She doesn't look away, but something in her eyes darkens—panic, maybe, or self-preservation.
A long silence settles between us, heavy and a little electric.
I know I'm pushing too fast, but I can't help myself. She's it for me. The second I met her, I knew it, the way you know the fuse is lit, and the explosion is coming. Matter of time.
She finally finds her voice, barely more than a whisper. "Austin…"
I back off, just a little. I don't want her running for the door, not when I've barely started. "No pressure, baby. Just…figured you should know where I stand."
She drops her gaze, stabbing at another potato. "You're a madman."
"Yeah, mad about you."
She doesn't answer, but a tiny smile flickers at her lips.
It's enough. For now.
Chapter Six
