Page 79 of Anything for You
He scowled. “No, you’re not. We’ve only been here an hour.” His arms crossed even more tightly over his chest.
“I am, though. It’s been great. Let’s go home.”
His eyes cast out over the room and finally circled back to me. “I don’t want you to leave for my sake.”
Oh, this sweet, stubborn man. “Any chance we could talk about thisnotin a jam-packed bookstore? Like, maybe, in your quiet living room with a fire in the fireplace and maybe a cozy blanket we could cuddle up under?”
His expression darkened. “No.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Okay. I’ll take a rideshare then,” and I walked out.
I got no more than ten feet from the bookstore door when he called my name. By the time I turned around, he’d caught up with me.
“What are you doing?”
With a long exhale, I tried to calm the potentially toxic combination of exasperation and delight. What could I say to disarm him and get him to do what he needed to do, which was very clearly be done with the crowd and noise.
“I want to go. I’m making that clear. Unless you’re telling me you actively want to stay, then let’s go.”
His mouth thinned into a firm line. “I don’t want to make you retreat into antisocial farm life. That’s not what I want for you.”
“But what if what I want is for you to be comfortable and happy? What if I would rather go home where I knowyou feel good than make you stay in a place where you’re clearly miserable? You did a great job showing up and engaging, but I know there’s always a point where it gets to be too much, and I think that time has come. So, let’s go home.”
His shoulders slumped a little, and the stubborn tilt to his jaw relaxed. “I don’t want to drag you away if you’re having fun. I don’t want you to cater to me.”
He simply didn’t understand. It had to be a holdover from his worries about someone wanting him. I couldn’t expect all of those fears to melt in the face of our relationship, just like my concerns about inexperience and my family hadn’t evaporated the first time we kissed.
But I didn’t want him to worry. I wanted him to understand and to believe me.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I held his eyes with mine. “I had fun. I’m ready to go. It’s been a long week for me, too, and I haven’t had enough time with you.”
“I get that,” he said, voice a low scrape.
My heart fluttered as his hands flexed on my waist.
I bit my lip, loving when his eyes dropped to my mouth.
“Plus, can’t a girl get her boyfriend to take her home and have his way with her?”
He grinned and I could tell it was despite himself. Then one big hand slid up and cupped the back of my neck under my hair.
“Anything for you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Dorian
We’d ridden home in a comfortable silence. I’d never been more grateful for her ability to recognize when I’d grown edgy.
There was a difference between wanting to leave and needing to. I’d had too many moments in the past where the departure became an imperative, not a choice. Tonight, I could’ve held out a while longer, and I hated that she might be ending her fun because of me.
This was precisely what I’d feared. I didn’t want to hold her back or influence her, and tonight, despite her protests, it felt like I had.
When we pulled into the driveway, she hopped out of the truck and scampered up the stairs to my front door before I even made it out of the car. I guess she’d meant it when she said she wanted to sit on the couch and snuggle and talk.
My heart flipped at the thought of getting to sit close to her, to hold her and touch her, and maybe please her in some way.Anyway. I suspected she thought it was an exaggeration when I told her, “Anything for you,” but it was simply a declaration of reality.
I’d do anything for her.
