Julian’s eyes brighten as he walks back in the direction of the bed. “A bonnet, eh?”
I swat his arm as he joins me back in bed. “Don’t even joke about that.”
His sheepish smile is enough as he mirrors my position, and a blissful silence fills the room.I feel it, the obvious thought and feeling that has blown around me all day.
A fragility hits me as my words begin to form. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. Coming here and meeting my aunt. Truthfully, I thought it was something you would fight for a long time. It’s not exactly an ‘oh let’s grab dinner tonight’ kind of thing. It’s a little more than that. And you initiated it.”
His mouth slides to the side, and he seems to deliberate with himself. Maybe he hasn’t realized the optics until now. But his fingertips softly touch my arm on the spot below my shoulder that always seems to be the button of assurance.
“I’m not afraid of things.”
Instantly, I snicker at the ridiculousness. “I beg to differ. I believe you were afraid of me.”
He shushes me with his long finger when it lands on my lips. “I’m not afraid of things, I conquer them. The path to you took a different approach.”
I set the palm of my hand on his cheek and give him a saccharine look that’ll tell him it’s the sweetest thing he could say. I pat his cheek. “Keep telling yourself that.” Because deep down, we both knew we were scared of the magnetism we felt toward one another.
His response is to move hastily, and I land flat on my back. “Careful,” he warns.
“Oh dear, what will you do? Remember, I need to wake with the roosters and bake the bread for the day,” I tease him because of what he said earlier.
It causes him to grin. “There is only one thing you will be waking to.” He kisses my neck, but it quickly turns to a slight sharp pain.
“Don’t you fucking dare.” I stare at the ceiling and giggle ridiculously as he continues his pursuit to mark me. As funny as it is, it’s really not, and I begin to push him away. “Seriously, I don’t want to go to lunch with my aunt wearing a scarf in 70-degree weather.”
Julian pulls back with an understanding grin. “You have a solid point.”
He wiggles until his forearms are framing me as they rest on the pillow on each side. This time, the moment of quiet is his own doing. “Savannah…” His sentence drifts away, leaving me to wonder.“We can’t keep doing this.”
The words hit me like a bolt. Cold and unnerving. Panic flickers in my chest, and I know he sees it. Still, the corner of his mouth lifts, barely, a shadow of something softer under the surface of his control.
“Denying that we’re moving toward something,” he says, tone deliberate, “and we can’t keep ignoring it.”
A flicker of relief slides through me, though caution claws at the edges. I’m unsure what he’s really saying.
“Talk faster,” I murmur. “Because starting withwe can’t keep doing this? Not a great strategy.”
He chuckles once before his eyes lock on me—piercing, commanding, yet… raw in a way that catches me off guard.
“True.” His tone softens enough to betray the wall he’s holding up. “What I mean is… we’re something. I don’t know the name for it yet, but it’s real. And my feelings for you… They keep growing. It’s dangerous. More for you than me.”
Shimmying against the mattress, I manage to bring myarms up to rest my hands on each side of his back. “Tell me to run,” I challenge him.
“No fucking chance.”
I smile, satisfied. “Excellent answer, because we have a problem.”His eyes squint in curiosity. “I used to despise you. Now I only despise you because you’ve made me see a side of you that feels like it’s only for me. That’s a powerful thing because now my feelings for you are stronger than imaginable.”
We’re trapped in a trance that strikes us. I feel his pulse pick up, and he feels mine. I stare straight into his eyes, and I’m not even lost. It’s the clarity of our magnitude. Our lips slowly meld together as our fingers interlace against the mattress. Unlike all the times before, this kiss holds a promise.
Lunch is a struggle.As much as eating a BLT sandwich at the Riverbell, seated outside on this beautiful day, should be pure relaxation, I’m tired. Julian woke early when he began to cough. I’m positive he has a headache, too, but he seems to be in denial. Taking a deep breath, I soak in the sun while I watch the green water of the river, and the pine trees along the shore bring some tranquility as I hear my aunt chatting with Julian in the background.
“This place is packed like yesterday,” he comments.
I grab a chip from my plate. “Well, it’s Saturday and lunchtime.”
