And that was why she hadn’t held back. She’d been so full of messy, raging emotion that she’d just… kissed him.
Turning, she faced the man she’d hoped she wouldn’t have to see for at least a few days, if not longer. Heat still lingered beneath her skin.
How could she have been so careless as to talk about Mathew when anyone could overhear her?
There was amusement in his eyes where she’d expected offense. He brought a thumb to his lower lip, and River’s attention followed the movement before she could stop it. The memory of that kiss flickered—warm and startling—and her own mouth tingled like it remembered, too.
He must have noticed, because his grin widened. This man was different from the one she’d met weeks ago. Yes, there was still an edge to him that she knew needed to be softened, but there was also a lightness that hadn’t been there before.
“Go out with me,” he said, like he’d already decided.
She nearly choked. “What? No.”
He lifted a brow, but his smile didn’t waver. “No?”
“No,” she repeated. “Not a good idea.”
“And that kiss?”
“A mistake.”
“I disagree.”
Surprise rocked through her. “You… disagree?”
He nodded. They were still close. Close enough that the air between them felt charged.
River racked her brain for the words she desperately needed to keep him at bay because those eyes of his were doing things to her she wasn’t prepared for. “I—we can’t.”
“Why? If this is because you work for my cousin, I…”
“It’s not that.” She forced steadiness into her voice. “It’s because you seem to be married to your work and I’m not so sure I could deal with it.”
That gave him pause. The amusement in his expression faded —then returned, though a bit dampened from before. “I’m working on that.”
“You’re… working on that?” A soft scoff escaped her before she could catch it. “Mathew, people don’t just flip a switch. You don’t wake up one day and stop being who you are.”
He pressed two fingers to her lips. She startled but surprisingly didn’t pull back. His voice was low but steady. “If losing my father has taught me anything, it’s that life is too short. I’ve lost so much time already.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and she didn’t trust herself to ask.
“All I know,” he continued, “is that I don’t want to end up like my dad. I don’t want to leave this life with more regrets than I already have.”
What could she say to that? He wasn’t wrong. She knew all too well about living life to the fullest. That was one of the biggest reasons she liked to travel so much. There were countless places to visit. Food to taste. Cultures to discover. Though, she had to admit being with him might top off all those other experiences.
Mathew didn’t push. He just stood there, close enough to make her heartbeat feel loud. “Go out with me,” he said again, softer now, as he brushed his knuckle along her jaw.
Tingles spread across her skin where he touched her, and River had to fight the urge to lean into it. To let it be easy. To let it be real.
Thankfully, her reason won out. She flashed him a playful smile before she patted his chest with her hand. “You make a compelling argument.”
“Is that a yes?”
Once again, she shook her head. “Unfortunately, I’m also not cut out for anything serious. But not for the same reasons as you.” She lifted her shoulders and dropped them. “I’m like a butterfly, always flitting from one place to the next. And you?”She let her eyes trace over him. “You’re the kind of guy who likes to put down roots.”
Apparently, Mathew wasn’t the kind of guy to go down without a fight because that smile never wavered. In fact, he looked even more charming as he continued to grin at her. “Then I’ll be the one place that feels like home when you get tired of flying.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Pretty sure a butterfly only visits a flower once before moving on.”
