I raised one brow, suddenly very interested in where this conversation was going. “And what do people say about me?”
“That you’re cocky, the life of the party, and a player who is always going from one woman to the next,” she said without missing a beat.
I nodded. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before. “And what do you think?”
She paused, looking at me, and it was like she was wiping away any walls or masks that I’d put up to keep the world out.
“I think they’re wrong,” she said softly. “I think you pretend to be like that. Maybe to hide something. Or maybe to fit in. But the real Talon Everhart is moresolitary, would rather read a book than go out with lots of women, and … okay, you are kind of cocky, but it’s well-earned since you are such an amazing swimmer.”
Her assessment made me smile. “It seems like you really know me. The person I really am.”
Her cheeks flushed pink, like maybe the thought of her being the one who got to see this side of me made her feel special.
She returned her focus back to the recipe.
Dinner was simple but good, and we ate on the couch, plates balanced on our knees. The conversation flowed easily—about work, about Cali’s multiple weird online dates, about the ridiculous playlist Coach had subjected us to during training.
Somewhere in the middle of it, Sapphire started zooming back and forth in the tank.
“Looks like she’s doing well,” she said.
“Yeah.” I watched the way Sapphire zipped around. “She’s back to her old self.”
“So a fish diva?” she murmured, smiling softly.
The sight of her there—laughing with me, watching our fish, looking perfectly at home—twisted something deep inside me.
This. This was what I wanted.
And yet I was still hiding.
Later, when we’d cleaned up, I walked her to the door. The evening air drifted through the open door, brushing against her hair. She stood close, too close, and I could feel the pull between us like gravity.
I wanted nothing more than to give in to that pull, towrap her up in my arms, to feel her warm body against me.
Her eyes lifted to mine, searching, as if she could hear the thoughts going through my mind, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just us.
My body began to follow that pull, that need to be closer to her. I leaned in before I could stop myself. The sweet scent of something floral and peach surrounded me; the heady smell that was Livvi had me getting lost in her. As the distance between us slowly disappeared, I struggled to think of anything but the thought of finally getting to do what I’d been daydreaming about for so long. Her breath caught, her lips parting?—
And I froze.
I couldn’t do it. Not like this. Not when she didn’t know everything.
I pulled back sharply, raking a hand through my hair. “I—uh. Thanks for coming over tonight.”
Her expression flickered, hurt flashing in her eyes before she masked it with a quick smile. “Of course. Anytime.” She slipped away quickly before I could say more, and the echo of her absence instantly filled the apartment like a giant hole.
I hated myself for pulling away. I hated that I had possibly made her feel dumb or that I didn’t want her. But worse, I hated the secret that kept me from closing the distance.
The buzz of my phone on the counter finally pulled me away from staring at the door, beating myself up for what had just happened. Or not happened.
Seeing who was calling didn’t help my mood.
Dad. Again.
For a second, I considered ignoring it. But avoidance hadn’t worked before, and I was done running.
I answered. “Hey.”
