Page 20 of Daring Lance

“And go without fresh bagels in the morning? Not hardly. I figure I’ll keep you around until my shorts are too tight and I need to give up the carbs.” She silently congratulated herself for being able to joke with him when all she wanted to do was scream at the irony of their situation. She had finally let desire win over common sense simply to have it all blow up within the same day. Could the fate fairy not have given her more than one day to enjoy her newfound relationship with Lance in ignorant bliss? She didn’t even get a lousy week. She had obviously ticked off the fate fairy, and with Willow’s luck, whatever she’d done had been in a previous life, so she couldn’t even remember it now.

“So, it was the bagel that did the trick and had you falling into my arms. I’ll have to make sure to include a bagel-store run in my morning routine from now on.”

Willow laughed. “Yup, with extra cream cheese.”

Lance tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, and she was tempted to close her eyes. She loved when he touched her. The tenderness that he put into the simplest of gestures always sent a spiral of warmth uncoiling through her body. “Willow?”

“Hmmm?”

“When the time comes for me to leave, I’m hoping you’ll consider going with me.”

Willow was unable to prevent her jaw from sliding open. She took a small step back. “With you? Lance, you’re teasing, aren’t you? Remember, this whole thing is casual. We’re sticking to the agreement we made this morning. You don’t have to say things like that. It’s okay. I’m good with this, what it is for now, until it’s not.”

She watched his eyes grow dark and his lips form a straight line. “I’m not, Willow. I told you that this afternoon. This is not a casual thing for me. This is real for me.”

Willow loosened her hand from his grasp and playfully punched him on his upper arm, not surprised by the hard muscle her fist met. “Sir Lancelot, you are definitely living up to your name. We’ve only known each other for over a month and have officially spent less than a day together as, uh, friends with benefits—”

“Friends with benefits? That is not what this is for me, Willow.”

She purposely rolled her eyes at him. “Okay, sorry. I meant casually, hmm, dating.”

“I have no intention of casually dating you, Willow. This is serious for me.”

Willow brushed away a strand of hair that the wind had swept into her eyes. She wanted to sayme too, but couldn’t allow the words to slip from her lips. She didn’t want the life he loved and planned to pursue: always on the move and never settling somewhere permanent. “Lance, I appreciate that you are taking our feelings for each other seriously. I think I might be hurt if you didn’t. But I meant what I said. What we have is only for the here and now. We want different things in life. I’ve come to accept it, and I’m sure you will realize it too when we’ve had some time apart and you are thinking clearly again. You said we have a couple of months until you leave?”

“Yeah.” He dragged out his response in way that she suspected was similar to what he did as a child when he was disappointed or hadn’t gotten his way. More than ever, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him not to worry because she would follow him anywhere, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not now or ever.

“Great, then why don’t we enjoy ourselves and each other’s company until then? Let’s not worry about the future. I want to be happy with you in the now.”

Lance sighed, and Willow was tempted to laugh. It was obvious that he was not used to being denied what he wanted, and as handsome as he was, she understood why. “Fine. Know that our relationship is not casual for me. I’m taking this seriously, and I’m going to convince you to feel the same. Where we are doesn’t matter as long as we’re together.”

Willow returned his grin with one of her own, still recognizing that her heart was in a whole heap of trouble and would undoubtedly be more than slightly damaged when it was time to part ways. “Noted.” She widened her smile until he appeared satisfied with her answer. They continued to walk, hand in hand, the warm sea water splashing against their feet. Willow wished that they could remain like this forever, content in compatible silence, the connection between them far greater than simply clasped palms, but she knew, without a doubt, she was on the wrong side of the fate fairy’s wrath.

SEVEN

“Lance, where are we going?”

Lance shot a quick glance at Willow before he returned his gaze to the road in front of them, but not before he was able to admire the smooth column of her neck, the spot beneath her ear that he knew was sensitive, having run his lips across the area many times over the last three weeks. Her hair, sleek and shiny as always, was pulled back from her face, held by a rubber band at her nape. If she had adorned her face with more than a touch of mascara, it wasn’t obvious. He had told her numerous times that he was serious about her, which she always laughed off, despite his sincerity. She was determined to keep their relationship “casual,” the word she used to describe it, and he preferred to keep it anythingbutthat. He had known when he had kissed her on the dance floor at his brother’s wedding reception that Willow was different, that the course of his life had been altered forever the moment their lips had touched, and he had been right. He thought Willow might believe the same, but for reasons that hung like dark clouds over them, she refused to admit it. Lance had his work cut out for him, and with the days on the calendar slipping steadily toward his departure to Costa Rica, he became increasingly focused on demonstrating to Willow that where they lived didn’t matter. They were meant to be together, and his heart had convinced him that together was forever.

Lance exchanged the sigh he wanted to release with a brief chuckle. “It’s a surprise.”

“A surprise? Like in good surprise?”

He laughed in response to the suspicion he heard in her voice. “I think so, and I hope you think so, too.”

“Hmm,” she murmured. “Not that I don’t trust you Lance, but I don’t.”

Lance pulled the car to a stop at a red light. He took the few seconds to look at Willow, whose brows were narrowed over her nose, her gaze questioning. “I promise you, it’s a good surprise. We will be there in a few minutes.”

Exactly four minutes later, Lance pulled his truck into a parking space. He watched as Willow undid her seat belt, her eagerness to exit the car obvious. “Lance, the animal shelter? You’re adopting a dog? I can’t believe it.”

He chuckled. “You can’t? I thought you missed Harold and Cooper like I do. My morning runs haven’t been the same since Luke picked up the dynamic duo and took them home. And since you refuse to go running with me, I need to find another companion.”

Lance locked the car and then clasped Willow’s hand with his. He had the insatiable need to touch her, to keep her close to him, and if she minded, she kept it to herself. “What about Costa Rica? What will you do with a dog when you leave?”

He swore he heard a sadness in her voice but thought it might only be his wishful thinking. He had made absolutely no progress in interesting her in going with him to Costa Rica, and while he was nowhere near giving up, he was becoming increasingly concerned that she may never agree to come. “I plan to bring both of you with me when I leave.”

Willow stopped mid-step, causing him to do the same. They were steps away from the entrance of the shelter, under the awning that framed the front door. “Lance, please. We’ve discussed it more times than I care to count. I have no intention of leaving Boca Raton.”

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