Page 58 of Most Likely to Fear Love

He seemed pretty fucking sincere. “Got it.”

“What else?”

Jesus, he could read me like a book, because right now, Brian’s voice was echoing in my ears.No one likes a needy, clingy woman, Cassidy. I need my space.“I’m not much of a hugger. You don’t have to, you know, snuggle and stuff after we…”

There was that long, steady gaze again. I thought he was going to say something, but all he did was write something on the clipboard. “Noted.” He pushed the clipboard across to me. “I think that’s fairly comprehensive. Read it over and if everything’s okay, sign it.”

My gaze flicked straight to the bottom of the form. He’d already signed it. Before I’d walked through the door, he’d already signed it. It wouldn’t have mattered how I answered any of these questions, he was going to do this for me. The realization made me weirdly emotional and I had to swallow thelump in my throat as I picked up the pen and scrawled my name next to his.

“Excellent. Now come here.” He reached over and, wrapping his fingers around my wrist, pulled me from the chair, into his lap. Ever so gently, he brushed the hair back from my forehead. “I’m going to take good care of you, just so you know.”

Oh. “Thank you.”

Sliding his fingers into my hair, he pulled me close, brushing his lips lightly across mine. I’m pretty sure it was meant to be reassuring, but instead, shivers of heat rippled through my body. This wasn’t like our desperate kiss from before. This was deliberate. Calculated. A promise of what was to come.

I melted into him, my body responding with an intensity that surprised me. His lips were soft yet insistent, and I found myself parting mine, inviting him deeper. As his tongue slid against mine, a small moan escaped me. God, I should be embarrassed about how quickly I was turning to putty in his hands, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Harle’s hand tightened in my hair, sending little sparks of pleasure down my spine. The heat of his body seeped through my clothes, and I became acutely aware of how perfectly I fit in his lap, how solid he felt beneath me. My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, desperate for an anchor as waves of desire washed over me.

This was nothing like the clinical arrangement we’d just discussed. This was pure chemistry, raw and undeniable. Every brush of his lips, every subtle shift of his body beneath mine, sent my heart racing faster.

When we finally broke apart, both breathless, Harle’s blue eyes were dark with want. His chest rose and fell rapidly against my palms, and I felt a surge of feminine pride knowing I wasn’t the only one affected. “You okay?” he murmured, his thumb tracing my cheekbone.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. The reality of what we were about to do hit me full force. Ten days of this. Ten days of Harle’s hands on my body, his lips on mine, his... Oh god. What had I gotten myself into? And why did the thought make me feel both terrified and thrilled?

He brushed one last kiss against my lips, gentler this time, but somehow even more intimate. When he pulled back, there was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite read. “How about you go on home now, have a good overthink about everything and come back on Friday night with your suitcase. We’ll get started then.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment. “I thought maybe...”

His thumb traced my bottom lip, and I had to resist the urge to capture it with my teeth. “Trust me, darlin’, I want nothing more than to carry you to bed right now and start making good on everything we just discussed.” His voice had dropped an octave, sending goosebumps rippling across my skin. “But I want you to have time to really process this. To get excited about it. To drive yourself a little crazy thinking about it.”

He shifted beneath me, and I bit back a gasp at the evidence of exactly how much he wanted to keep me here. “Plus,” he continued, his voice rough, “I’ve got some preparations to make. Things to get ready for you.”

Oh god. What kind of preparations?

“Friday night,” he said firmly, helping me stand on shaky legs. “Pack light. You won’t need many clothes.”

Manyclothes? I was definitely going to spontaneously combust before Friday.

HARLE

Istood in the kitchen, the heat of the oven hitting me in the face as I opened the door to turn the roast vegetables in the tray. The scent of rosemary and garlic filled the air, mingling with the rich aroma of the chicken roasting above. I picked up the tongs, giving the carrots and potatoes a gentle turn, but my mind wasn’t fully on the task.

Cassidy.

Huffing out a breath,I ran through my options on how to get her to relax. My blood was humming, knowing she’d be here any minute, knowing that I was going to need all my self-restraint not to drag her straight to the bedroom. I’d kept such a tight rein on my desire for her, it would be too fucking stupid to let it go now.

No, I needed to warm her up first. Make sure she was all nice and relaxed. That was my top priority. But it wasn’t going to be easy.

I frowned, remembering the look on her face when she confessed that her main concern was me being bored. For fuck’s sake. Someone had done a real number on her, no doubt about that. The weight of it sat heavy in my chest. What kind of asshole could make Cassidy think she wasn’t enough?

I clicked the tongs together, the sharp metallic snap breaking the quiet of the kitchen. There was no way in hell she’d feel like that here. Not if I had anything to say about it.

My gaze flicked to the window, where the last light of the day was fading over the lake, the water catching the last glimmers of sunset. The house was ready for her. Everything set up just right. I’d cleared space for her things in my closet, put fresh linens on the bed, stocked the fridge with a few of those fancy sparkling waters she liked.

I hoped like hell I could show her what I saw every time I looked at her. To me, she was a woman strong enough to take on anything, who deserved to be cherished.

The low rumble of an approaching engine had my pulse leaping. I took a steadying breath, wiped my hands on a towel, and made my way to the front door. I opened it just in time to watch Cassidy’s car pull up into the driveway, the headlights cutting through the twilight.

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