Page 32 of Pining for Pierce

“Good,” she says, giving me a glare, which softens as she unfolds her arms again, letting them fall to her sides, one of her hands resting on my arm, which is still around her waist. That feels nice… like there’s a connection between us, like it’s a two-way street, and she lets out a long sigh. “You’d be right, though.”

“Would I?”

“Yes. I should have listened.”

I nod my head, smiling at her, and she narrows her eyes, although her lips are twitching upward. I’d love to lean in and kiss her, just to seal the moment, but before I can, her smile fades and she gets a kind of desolate, lost look in her eyes… one that makes my heart ache.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“He made me feel so pressured.”

My blood freezes. “In what way?”

“In every way. It was like that kiss. He just took it for granted I’d be okay with it. He didn’t ask, he just did it. I suppose I should have realized what he’d be like when he picked me up from work.”

“I’m sorry?”

She shakes her head. “On Monday, we’d arranged to meet at MD’s, but he was waiting for me outside the office. He scared me half to death, jumping out at me like he did. That wasn’t just for our first date, but our second one as well… and then tonight…”

“What about tonight?” I ask.

“He’d decided we’d have drinks together and then go on somewhere else. I assumed that meant to a restaurant, or something. I tried to get out of it, but he kinda trapped me into agreeing. Then, when I said I’d meet him, thinking that would be the perfect way out, and that I just wouldn’t show up, he refused. He said he’d pick me up from here,” she says, looking around before she lets her eyes settle on mine again. I like that. It feels good that her gaze returns to me, and I nod my head. “I know that doesn’t have to mean anything, but there was something about the way he said it… about the way he was so insistent. It was like he wanted to be in control… like he wanted to be sure I’d have no way of getting home without him.”

I pull her close so she’s leaning against my leg, her grip tightening on my arm. Man, that feels good, and I swallow down the joy in my voice, just so I can speak normally. “You’ve always got a way of getting home, Harley. All you have to do is call. I’ll be there.”

She nods her head. “I know. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“Because that’s what friends are for?” she says, a smile touching at her perfect lips.

“Something like that.”

“Are we friends again?” she asks, sounding slightly scared, and I hold her just a little tighter.

“Something like that.” I smile while I’m repeating myself, nodding my head at the same time, because I don’t want her tothink we’re not friends. We are… even though I know I want so much more.

I half expect her to pull away, or say she needs to go inside, but she doesn’t. She leans against me, moving her hand up to my shoulder and then resting her head on it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“What for?”

“For being so horrible to you the other morning.”

“You weren’t horrible.”

“Yes, I was, and I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven,” I say, and she leans away again. I want to tell her not to, but I don’t think we’re there yet. At least, she isn’t. She has no idea how I feel, or how much this means to me, or the panic that rises inside me when she shudders, pulling back and letting her hand fall to her side. “Hey… what’s wrong?”

“I—I was just thinking.”

“What about?”

“Kaiden.”

I don’t like that idea, and I sit back slightly. “What about him?”

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