The smile on his face deepened. “No.” His thumb brushed lightly over her cheek. “Because if all of that hadn’t happened, I never would’ve met you.”
The words hit her heart as if Cupid had just fired an arrow straight into it.
Before she could even figure out how to answer, Pierce dipped his head and kissed her.
This wasn’t like the sweet kiss he had given her at her door the night before. This was deeper and hotter. It was the kind of kiss that stole every coherent thought from her head and left her clinging to his shirt with both hands as his mouth moved over hers with a confidence that made her knees feel suddenly weak.
One of his hands slid to the back of her neck, holding her gently, while the other tightened at her waist and pulled her flush against him. There was nothing hesitant in it. The kiss was all passion and possession and relief, like he was trying to pour everything he couldn’t say into the way he touched her.
And Charley met him right there.
She kissed him back with all the feeling that had been building in her since the moment this date had begun. Hell, who was she kidding. She had wanted to since the cookout at Ray and Jessica’s house.
As the waves gently lapped against the shoreline, the only thing she could focus on was Pierce’s mouth, his hands, and the heat from his body pressed against hers. His kiss seemed to settle something deep in her bones while also setting every nerve ending on fire.
When he finally pulled back, Charley was left staring up at him, her lips tingling and her heart beating hard enough she was half-convinced he could feel it too.
Pierce looked equally affected, though he hid it better. His mouth twitched. “Yeah,” he murmured, voice rough. “I feel it too.”
A startled laugh escaped her, and she could feel some of the heaviness from a few minutes ago lift just enough to let the sweetness of the moment settle in.
Still holding one of his hands, she gave it a small tug. “Can we walk for a bit?”
He looked down at her, his expression softening. “Yeah. Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
Charley glanced toward the long stretch of beach and smiled. “Walking on the beach was the only part of my perfect date I hadn’t gotten yet.”
His brows lifted. “Perfect date, huh?”
Her cheeks warmed. “Don’t ruin it by making me explain that statement.”
A quiet laugh rumbled out of him, and he laced their fingers together. “Well, I guess we’d better make that happen.”
They started down the beach hand in hand, leaving her shoes and purse forgotten for the moment in the sand behind them until Pierce doubled back, scooped them both up without complaint, and carried them while they walked. The sight of her heels dangling from his big hand should not have been as endearing as it was, but it made something soft unfurl in her chest anyway.
For a while, neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to.
The silence between them felt different now. Not awkward. Not strained. Full in a way that made words unnecessary. The tide moved in and out beside them.
Pierce’s hand stayed clasped with hers, his thumb occasionally brushing over her knuckles in a small, absent motion that made her stomach flutter every single time.
Her thoughts drifted to everything Pierce had told her earlier, and how painful that had to have been for him to talk about it. Just from his words and actions, she wondered whetherthat was the first time he had really expressed his full emotions about the situation. It made her think about her own ordeal, the grief from losing her dad and brother, and how she had never really spoken about their loss. The only person she ever spoke to about what happened to them was Jessica. And even then, she didn’t really cry, cry. Yes, she shed a few tears, but never really released those emotions she knew were simmering inside of her. She always kept her mind busy, too afraid she would break and not be able to come back from it.
Pierce knew she had lost her dad and her brother. He knew those losses had changed her life. But he didn’t know the details. Didn’t know the full shape of what those deaths had done to her and why she was reluctant to start a relationship with him. Unless he had looked into it somehow, which she supposed was possible given his background, though he had never once hinted at it, and he never acted like he knew more than what she had chosen to share.
Charley slowed until their joined hands gently pulled Pierce to a stop. He turned toward her at once, concern flickering across his face.
She took a breath, her nerves from earlier creeping back in for an entirely different reason. “You told me something really personal tonight,” she said softly. “And I think…” She looked down at the sand for a second before making herself meet his eyes again. “I think it’s time I was fully honest with you, too. About my family.”
Understanding moved over his face, followed by a quiet kind of patience that made loving him feel dangerously easy.
Without a word, Pierce led her a few feet higher up the beach, away from the edge of the tide, and sat down in the sand. He tugged gently on her hand until she followed, then shifted her so she was sitting between his legs, angled just enough that hecould still see her face. One arm settled around her waist, while the other he used to brace himself.
Charley looked up at him, her heart beating faster. She could already feel her eyes start to water.
???
Pierce hated seeing the pain etched across Charley’s face.
