Page 39 of Wilds of the Heart
“What if we lose what we have?” I reached out and squeezed his muscular arm, which only drew my thoughts back to the kiss.
Being held in his arms.
“We won’t.”
“We don’t know that.”
He took a step toward me and smiled. “We can take it slow.”
I lifted my brows. “With a kiss like that, I’m not sure that’s possible.”
Confidence washed over Lucas’s features, and my stomach stirred.
“So, travel…” he said, looping his arms around me, pulling me in. He kissed the top of my head. “I think that’s something we have in common.”
I loved feeling his lips skate across my head. I’d always liked it when he did that. I didn’t know why. Maybe on somelevel, it felt like he was protecting me, but this time, it felt different.
A good different.
“Well, I won’t be traveling anywhere for at least six weeks. Grandparent duty. But I’ve got my books.”
Lucas nodded. “Let me help you with Mimi.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You do not want that stress. Mimi is a handful. If this had been my other grandma, sure. But Mimi will make you run screaming with your tail between your legs.”
“Nah. She likes me.” Lucas stood tall, and I couldn’t help but love him a little more.
That was the problem with starting a relationship with my best friend. There was already love there. I just wasn’t sure it was the right kind. I knew lust was heavily pressing into every cell in my body, but with Lucas, I needed to be alert.
Guarded.
Just in case.
I let out a deep breath, and Lucas’s gaze fastened on mine. “What are you thinking?”
“That this wasn’t what I expected when you came over.” I walked into the spare room, sliding my fingers against my lips. The tingle from his mouth over mine was still raw, and it was hard not to ask for more.
He followed behind me. “What did you expect?”
“I thought you were going to tell me that you were interested in Clara. That things needed to cool down between us in the friendship department.”
He flinched at the sound of her name. His eyes got huge. “I told you I have zero feelings for her. Zero.”
I nodded, feeling guilty for bringing her up again. “I know you said that, but…”
“But what?”
“There was obviously something there at some point.”
Apprehension filled his gaze as his chin tipped up. “I don’t think puppy love exactly counts as something being there, other than teenage hormones.”
I shrugged, thinking about my sister Mae and her secret crush from high school. All these years, and she still couldn’t shake him.“That can lead to something, sometimes.”
“True, but it’s not the case in this instance.” He softly touched my chin and lifted it as my eyes met his. “There was a betrayal there that… let’s just say that I’m not sure a person can outgrow it.”
“Did she cheat on you?”
“It’s more complicated than that.”