Page 46 of Late Nights

His brows shot up with hope. “Okay?”

He reminded me so much of a little boy right now, desperately wondering if I was going to stay with him, continue to be his friend, to still be there for him, if I wouldn’t walk away.

“Yes,” I nodded again, giving him a small smile. “No matter what happens, we’ll always be friends.” And that was the truth. I didn’t know where our relationship would eventually end up, but I was willing to swallow any pride or future hurt that could possibly come my way when it came to him.

His smile and the look of relief on his face had my heart squeezing in my chest. This big, muscly man just needed reassurance that he was enough for someone to care about, and I’d be more than happy to be that someone, even if it was only ever as a friend.

“But we do need to talk about how you’ve been holding out on me when it comes to your ski skills,” I said playfully, moving us back into comfortable territory.

His grin widened, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I like to stay behind you to enjoy the view.” He winked, and it made me laugh, easing the tension from our earlier conversation.

I looped my arm through his, pulling him toward the doors. “C’mon, you pervert. Let’s go skiing together, and I’ll let you enjoy that view.”

He chuckled and let me lead him out the doors to where our skis were.

We were back to normal, and it was something I could accept. I just hoped that at some point, he’d let me grow to love him, because I had no doubt I could fall head-over-heels for this man.

14

Demi

“You tired of that view yet?” I called back to Cannon.

He sped up enough to come beside me, a smirk visible on his face. “Not possible.”

I smiled and shook my head.

This was our third time going down this trail together, and despite our very real and serious conversation earlier, we seemed more relaxed with each other. There was comfort in knowing where we stood.

“When is it my turn to enjoy the view?” I asked playfully.

He feigned a gasp. “Demi Vanderhall, are you wanting to objectify me?”

“Yes,” I said, not skipping a beat.

He let out a loud laugh. “Is it bad that I like it?”

I gave him a coy smile before speeding up, not answering his question.

He quickly caught back up to me. “This side of you might be my downfall.”

“Do you want me to apologize for that?” My sassy and flirtatious voice both surprised me and empowered me.

His cocky grin had my body heating up, and it had nothing to do with how we were skiing fast enough to work up a sweat. “Not at all. I like getting to know the real Demi. The one who’s not always all buttoned-up and proper.”

His words rattled something loose in me, and I lost focus on the ground in front of me.

The real Demi. Did I even know who that was?

For so long, I’d done everything my parents wanted me to, living by their rules and their expectations. Most of the time, it hadn’t bothered me. But the older I’d gotten, the more I’d felt the need to push back. The closer I’d gotten to graduation and the life that had been laid out for me since I was a little girl, the more I’d felt like the walls were closing in on me.

I’d hit my breaking point, tired of trying to fit into a mold other people wanted me to conform to. For the first time in my life, I hadn’t been doing what was expected of me.

I glanced over at Cannon, his tall, athletic build bringing a smile to my face. When I was with him, I didn’t worry about any expectations. I was just me, and he seemed to like that.

The only thing I had to worry about was throwing myself at him. That’s all.

“She seems to only come out for you,” I said, the flirtatious tone of my voice new even to myself.

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