Because it wasn’t flirtation. It was a truth she hadn’t meant to say out loud.
And suddenly, he wanted to prove her wrong. Show her that there was more to him than cocky grins and casual charm. Once, he’d been the kind of man who knew how to love fully, without hesitation. And look where that had gotten him.
“Dangerous?” His voice dropped, the air between them shrinking by inches. His pulse spiked as his gaze roamed her face, drawn in by those too-perceptive eyes. “I’m not the one who’s dangerous, Daphne.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t...”
“Genuine kindness,” he said, voice rough, “is dangerous too. It makes people hope for things they shouldn’t. For things they can’t repay.”
Like someone staying.
Like love not leaving.
Her gaze softened. “Repayment isn’t necessary, Finn.”
The way she said his name—soft, warm, wrapped in that Carolina twang—made something ache deep in his chest. Her sweetness. Her sarcasm.
Those lips.
He was unraveling.
Surely, just one taste. One kiss. That would be enough. It would scratch the itch. Get it out of his system. He could kiss her, reset his brain, and walk away like a gentleman.
Like all the other times.
“Perhaps, thereisa way.” The hitch in her breath only fueled his insanity to take another step closer. His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Certainly I could offer you something in return. Something... better than stuffed French toast, even?”
“Ah, well...” Her voice rasped, attention flickering from his eyes to his lips. “I’m guessing you don’t mean something like... letting me win the wedding competition?”
He paused his approach to appreciate her humor. He really could like her too much for his own good. “Not exactly.”
“Oh... hmm...” She slipped a step back and raised a finger in mock inspiration. “I know. How about... letting me drive your car?”
His car? That actually made him pause. “You want to drive my car?”
She leaned close, giving those golden brows of her a shimmy. “Like I want air to breathe.”
He blinked and shifted back a step. “That’s a tall order.”
“I rescued your sweet daughter and opened my door to strangers. That’s gotta earn me something.”
His chest squeezed to the needy point, and the feeling shook him. Maybe even scared him. She’d opened the door to more than hisdaughter. She was opening doors in him he’d sworn to keep locked. Inspiring hope he didn’t know what to do with.
And that terrified him more than he’d ever admit.
He liked her. Too much. The way she talked, the way she listened, the way she cared—like it was second nature. Like he and Lucy fit here.
But that kind of believing? That kind of risk?
No.
He couldn’t afford it.
So he did what he always did.
Let the charm step forward and take the fall.
“I have another idea in mind.” He took a step closer. “Even better than the car.”
