Page 88 of Love on the Run

“You are amazing,” Beau whispered. “Strong, smart, kind, beautiful.”

Anna didn’t care what else he had to say. She’d heard enough. Pressing up onto her toes, she met his lips with hers.

Beau caught her the moment she would have crumbled. His arms wrapped around her, holding her in the safety of his embrace as he moved against her.

And she took her first healing breath. This was what she’d been missing. This was real and unfiltered emotion.

To say it was the best kiss of her life was an understatement. She might have gotten the ball rolling, but Beau was in charge here. He took complete control, leading her out onto a raging sea.

Beau’s movements slowed, and he tensed before ending the kiss. Her face heated as rejection burned hot inside of her.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” she whispered as she took a step back.

Beau grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him. “No. It’s not that. It’s… You’ve been through a lot lately.”

Anna shook her head. “No. This isn’t a rebound or a trauma response. I…I like you. I’ve had the best time with you despite the mess waiting at home. You’ve been so good to me when you didn’t have to be. You?—”

Beau wrapped her up, crushing her to his chest. “Stop. I’m right here with you. I’m surprised, but I’m also one hundred percent sure this is real. At least it is for me.”

Anna nodded against his chest. “It is for me too. I’ve never been so sure of anything. And the best part is, I’m not going to second guess the way I feel.” She lifted her head to look up at Beau. “Thanks to you, I’m not afraid anymore.”

Beau pressed another kiss to her lips that sent a shock racing down her spine. Being adored by Beau was both thrilling and calming at the same time.

He jerked his chin toward the shattered remains of the room. “Want to smash some more?”

Anna chuckled. The rage room was worth theprice he paid for half an hour. Beau knew exactly what she needed and made it happen.

“I don’t need to hit anything else. Let’s go have fun.”

Chapter 27

Beau

The rage room might have been a bad idea.

Anna definitely had no problems jumping right into something complicated with him while she had more complicated things going on at home, but Beau was still a little wary. Was he taking advantage of her? Was she looking for something to replace the hurtful things she’d gone through?

On the one hand, he wanted her to be bold enough to know what she wanted and ask for it. On the other hand, he wasn’t the jump into things blindly kinda guy, and starting something with Anna could either be amazing or end in a cloud of smoke.

Either way, there were zero tears after that, so he was calling it a win. They’d sat side by side on the couch last night and watched a movie he couldn’t remember a single thing about before theyseparated for bed. He should get an award for his self-control.

The next day, she told him she wanted to do something “fun,” which gave him little to nothing to go on since they had very different ideas of fun.

In the end, they’d settled on a hike to Freedom Falls. The guy at the tourist stand in town said the views were not to be missed, and the trail was fine for beginners.

Anna skipped ahead as they entered the trailhead, looking back with a heart-stopping smile.

“Come on!” she said, bouncing over to his side to pull him along by the hand.

“What’s the rush?”

She wrapped her arms around one of his and plastered herself to his side. Her happiness did weird things to his insides. “I want to see the waterfalls.”

What was wrong with him? They were as close as possible, and he still wanted to be closer. They’d kissed only once—well, twice counting the restaurant—but now that he’d tasted her lips it was all he wanted.

He kept up with her brisk pace as they headed toward the falls. The trail was well-maintained, and they passed about a dozen people as they walked. Anna stayed close to him but pointed at anything remotely interesting with the same level of excitement as a kid exploring a new world.

Did he enjoy every minute of it? Absolutely.

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