“Sure.”
I wanted to ask if she’d ever fantasized, like I had about her, before falling asleep at night. It was usually after I’d seen her social media posts. She was decked out in a fancy gown, at some event or fundraiser in the city, and I’d always wonder if she went to bed alone.
“You’re part of the reason I came back, you know.”
“What are you talking about? You came back because you inherited the farm and wanted to honour your parents’ memory.”
“Yeah, and I wanted to get back to my roots. The guy I used to be. And the people who reminded me what it felt to be real and authentic. I hated that shallow, money-hungry bastard I’d become. I thought about the version of myself I liked best, and that was the guy you used to know. So, I decided I’d work on becoming that guy again.”
“I love that,” she whispered.
I turned down the dirt road to my family farm. Another quarter mile would take me to her folks’ place. I couldn’t have written it any better, all the places and people who meant anything to me within a five miles radius of the only real home I’d ever known.
I pulled into the long winding driveway behind her and cut my engine before she got out of the car and met me in the middle of our vehicles. Without a word I opened my arms to her and she stepped into them, collapsing against my chest.
She’d gone home and changed. Now she was wearing faded blue jeans, flip flops, and a white tank top under a soft plaid shirt. She looked like the quintessential country girl and it made me wonder how I’d ever thought made-up women who only cared about designer clothes and shoes could ever have been enough for me.
She tipped her head back and the full moon illuminated her stunning features. She wasn’t wearing a lick of make-up. Her round face was sun-kissed and her long dark lashes framed the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen. Her lips were full and kissable, and as tempted as I was, I knew we had to talk first.
“Come on inside,” I said, threading my hand through hers.
She squeezed my hand as I unlocked the front door and ushered her inside. “Joel, we need to talk about what happened last night.”
“I know.” I slipped my shoes off before hanging my blazer on the coatrack that had been a fixture in this old house since my mother brought it home from an antique mart two decades before. “Let me get us something to drink first.”
She left her sandals by the door before following me to the kitchen.
I removed my tie, undid a few shirt buttons and rolled my sleeves back. All while her gaze was tracking my movements. When I caught her staring, she blushed and looked out the window.
“Full moon tonight,” she said, making me laugh. “What? What are you laughing at?”
I crossed the kitchen, setting my hands on her waist. “You were totally checking me out.” My gaze dipped to her mouth. “And I liked it. Don’t stop.”
She released a breath on a huff and dropped her head to my chest. “Only you would call me out like that, you ass.”
“Gia.” I tipped her chin so she was forced to look me in the eye. “I need words, sweetheart. What are you thinking?”
She swallowed once, twice, before she finally said, “I don’t know what this thing is between us, but it scares the hell out of me. I can’t feel this way about one of my best friends, Joel. It’s wrong and risky and—”
I silenced her with a gentle kiss before slipping my hand into her hair and touching my forehead to hers. “And perfect.”
“I don’t know what to do.” She rested her hand against my heart. “It sounded so simple when I proposed… the idea. We’d live together, like roomies, for awhile. I’d help you fix up the house. You’d let me use the place for filming and we’d sell our relationship, helping to strengthen my brand.”
“Yeah… and?” I brushed my lips across hers, watching the chill bumps rise on her skin.
“But the way I feel when you touch me like that,” she said, sucking in a breath when my lips trailed down her neck. “It complicates things.”
“Doesn’t have to,” I murmured, sliding her flannel shirt over her shoulder so my lips could continue their exploration. “Sex can just be sex, if that’s all you want it to be.” I knew sex with Gia could never be that simple, but I had to sell her on the idea of a relationship with me one baby step at a time.
“Last night you accused me of using you,” she said, drawing back to brace her hands on my shoulders. “I never want you to feel that way. I’d hate myself if you felt I’d led you on or couldn’t give you what you need.”
I touched my fingertip against her lush lips to silence her. “I was an idiot for saying that. And for the record, I’m a big boy, G. I’m going into this with my eyes wide open. I have no expectations.” I had lots of hopes, fantasies, a few dreams, but I knew I couldn’t expect anything to happen between us unless she was ready for a full-on commitment.
She bit her lip as she considered my claim. Closing her hand around my wrist to still me, her green eyes pleaded with mine when she said, “Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. I thought you hated me—”
“I could never hate you.”I love you, girl. Can’t you see that?
“I could never hate you either,” she whispered, her eyes falling to my chest. “But I’m just scared if we cross that line, and become intimate, things could get kind of murky.”
