Page 45 of Staying for You

“Not a great lead in, there, buddy.”

“I know. But just hear me out, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I think we can both agree that we’re attracted to each other.”

A blush creeps up her cheeks and she bites the corner of her lower lip, nodding her head ever-so-slightly.

Yeah.

She’s attracted to me.

Just like I’m attracted to her.

Damn, she’s pretty. Without a doubt, the prettiest woman I’ve ever met.

I understand for the first time what a Siren’s Call means. She calls to me and I can’t help but answer. I resisted as long as I could and now I’m here, about to lay it all on the line and hope like hell she’ll accept what I’m about to propose to her.

“And that my home is here.” Another nod. “And your home is in Tennessee.” This time a pause before a nod.

“I like you.”

“You mentioned that.”

“And while I’d love to see where this could go between us, I just don’t know what a future looks like for…” us. I don’t say it. But she knows that’s what I meant. There’s no chance for a future for us, but maybe there’s here and now. The present is right here at our fingertips…

“But now…” I trail off, wondering if she’s caught on yet to what I’m saying. I’m so nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before. And until I came to her door, it hadn’t even occurred to me. My plan was to apologize again, pray she offered me forgiveness, and leave her alone. But one look at her sitting next to me on this couch, vulnerable but understanding, accepting, and so fucking beautiful… my plan flew the coop.

“I don’t want to live my life with regrets,” I tell her.

“Okay?”

“And you’re really pretty.” Shit. I didn’t mean to say that. By the look on her face, she knows it, too. Trying not to laugh at me and doing a piss poor job at it because her lips are pressed together tightly and her shoulders are shaking. Not that I’m opposed to her knowing that I think she’s pretty — which is an understatement — but it sounds immature and juvenile to just blurt it out.

“Thanks.”

“But that’s not why I’m here or anything,” I rush to make sure she understands. “And if you didn’t live in Tennessee and I didn’t live here, we could probably have something together but you don’t live here and I do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish things were different. But the fact is, it’s not different. Those are the cards we’re dealt with. But we’re also dealt with this insane attraction and I, for one, can’t really deny myself of it because I don’t like living with regrets and not pursuingsomethingwould be a tragedy,” I ramble, only stopping when I see the look on her face.

Eyes are so wide, they’re bugging out comically. She’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. Her lips are pressed together so tightly, they’re turning white. She’sreallytrying hard not to laugh at me.

I drop my head. “I’m an idiot.”

“You mentioned that earlier, too.”

“Maybe I’ll just go back to the lodge where I obviously left my brains.”

“Would you find them up there?” she asks, head turned to the side as she teases me.

“Probably not,” I grumble.

She grips my knee, shaking it lightly to get my attention. “Owen? You want to ask me something, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is it that you would like to have a friends with benefits type of thing?”

“What? No! That’s terrible! I’d never ask you to have sex with me with no promise of a relationship!” My lying protest is quick and if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll use her foot to shove against me and make me fall off this couch. Tell me to get out of here with my lying ways and I don’t deserve to spend time in her presence if I can’t be honest. But that’s not what she does.

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