“Oh?” I focused on keeping my eyes from bugging out.
“I’m like a kid seeing the best toy at the store and demanding to have it now.”
“Toy?”
He pressed his fingertips against his closed eyelids with a shake of his head. “Bad analogy.”
The white hand beckoned for us to walk, so we crossed the street and passed a coffee shop I was sure I’d seen before. Was that where I’d seen Micah and Jo in the tabloids?
Another tree-lined street, another row of townhouses, but things began to look familiar. We were close to Jo’s now. As we closed in on the steps to her house, Shane slowed. He took a breath and looked me straight in the eyes. “Can I just speak plain? I mean, is it too soon to tell you what I really think?”
A shiver shot down my spine. “No. Tell me.”
“Okay, but if I freak you out, just pretend we’re cool for at least as long as it takes for us to get to Jo’s. I don’t think I can bear an outright rejection.”
I lay my hand on his chest. “Do I look like I’m freaking out?”
“You look like you’ve stepped through a portal into another dimension and your normal rules no longer apply.”
“Huh?” His analogies were more confusing than the plain speak he’d promised. I tightened my fingers in his to lend courage. “Okay. Go on with your plain talk.”
“There’s a lot going on here, and I’m chasing after the puzzle pieces trying to make sense of the big picture.”
“Explain.”
“So, you’re new to town, right? And you haven’t figured out what’s up and what’s down. You don’t even have a place to live.” He didn’t wait for me to agree. “Part of me wants to warn you not to trust that stranger you only just met. That you shouldn’t be here with me on this dark street. That you should not under any circumstances go up to my apartment.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand.
“However, you happen to have exceedingly good judgment.” He flashed a sheepish grin. “I mean, I’m a nice guy. I have no intention of taking advantage of your apparently trusting nature.”
“How do you knowI’mnot the sociopath?”
“I’m getting to that.” He scratched his neck. “I don’t know why I felt immediately drawn to you. Maybe it was because you sided with me against Noah’s stupid teasing. Maybe it’s simple physical attraction. Maybe it’s love at first sight.”
My heart hammered in my chest. Was I starting to freak out?
“Shit. I’m not good at this.” He clasped my other hand, and we stood there on the sidewalk, looking like we were exchanging vows.
He really was not good at this. I squeezed his hands and waited.
“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t know what you expect, and I can’t predict the future, but I’m interested in getting to know you.”
It was a bit unnerving that he came on so strong, so honest, but at the same time I found it endearing that he was floundering. Then it hit me. “Are you nervous?”
He snorted. “Of course, I’m nervous. Do you know how rare it is to connect with anyone?”
I did. But how could he know that we had a connection? We were practically strangers. I nodded anyway.
“I don’t want to screw this up before it’s even anything.”
It occurred to me that this wasn’t about him. This was about me. I lay my head against his chest. “Hey. I like you.”
He wrapped his arms around my back. “I like you, too.”
The front door opened, and Jo peeked out. “Layla? There you are. I’ve been trying to call you.”
I pulled back from Shane and gave him a serious eye fuck, wishing it could be more. He lifted my hand and planted a kiss on my knuckle. Somehow that small gesture nearly killed me. I was going to literally die because I couldn’t have this man tonight.
