As he took her hand, intertwining their fingers, and they walked slowly at Laura’s pace up to the top, she felt herself tip over. This was something new and this was something good and she wasn’t going to let that ridiculous doubting voice inside her ruin it.
With each step she felt her energy rebound, her heart rate steadying and her body finding some sort of equilibrium to keep pumping herself up, to manage the trail and to climb higher. Perhaps it was the excitement of Mike’s kiss, his proximity, of the promise of something more when they reached their goal. Silly though it seemed, that made her live in the moment, and when they finally reached the end, the view really was otherworldly.
So was Mike’s touch.
Just don’t sleep with him, that little voice chided her. Don’t be that kind of woman. Wait one more date. In some ways, she hated that voice, but this time it really was right. Sleeping with Mike this soon after Dylan would seem crass. Over the top. Unfair to Mike.
Unfair to her. She needed a few days off from everyone to just think this through. Of course, she’d never see Dylan again. That was a done deal. However, she still had unresolved feelings for him, and that meant clearing her mind. Couldn’t do that with Mike’s tongue in her mouth.
Or his dick in her—
“Hey? That’s an interesting look. What’s going on in that mind of yours?” Talk about a loaded question. Laura struggled to answer. He peered at her, seemed to really study her, and it was as if he knew. Knew what she was thinking, understood the demons she wrestled with, and was being respectful—but still curious. If it weren’t 100 percent impossible for him to have any idea about her date with Dylan last night (this morning) she would have thought he was giving her space to think things through.
That was just crazy, though.
His arm reached for her, pulled her into his embrace, her back to his chest, and he settled in, holding her as if they’d done this a million times. Inhaling deeply, she relaxed into the hold, feeling like they had done this forever. How could this be? Why did she feel so settled with him already—and yet so excited to get to know him, all at the same time? She examined his forearms, bare and wrapped around her ribs and chest. Light, sandy hair dotted the arms, which were deeply freckled, though the spots were light. A few scars, but nothing that spoke of severe trauma. No ring, and no tell-tale white skin where a ring normally resided. He did wear an old-fashioned friendship bracelet, the kind she hadn’t seen since she was a young teen.
“What’s that?” She fingered the thin, braided band, faded from red and blue to a pale pink and blah-ish gray color. Changing the subject might help her escape more scrutiny about her thoughts.
He tensed, his wrist starting to pull back, and then he paused, taking a deep breath that she felt against her back. How rare, she thought. A man who took the handful of seconds to consider his actions, to be deliberate. Whatever response he was about to give her, she knew, would be forthright and honest, coming from a deep center she wanted to touch.
“An old friend gave that to me.” She could feel him swallow, could sense the unspoken. Someone very, very special.
“It’s been beaten up and seems to have gone through a lot, but looks well-loved.”
“So was she.” Laura stopped breathing. His voice had gone quiet, the words a whoosh out of his lungs, like something he couldn’t control but that he could barely stand to say. The mood had shifted abruptly, her innocent questions something she normally would wish she could take back, would normally berate herself for asking, for making everything awkward with one simple piece of chit chat.
Except she wasn’t. Regretful. Asking that question may damn well have been the best choice she’d made all day, because she got a glimpse into a very, intensely private man and his profound nature was revealed, even in a tiny sliver.
This was what she wanted. And Dylan. Go away, Dylan! she chided no one—the voice in her head— as if he himself had invaded her thoughts. Why was she experiencing this strange duality, in Mike’s arms and feeling his pain for someone he’d once loved all while thinking about a man she’d been with last night—one with a hidden significant other?#p#分页标题#e#
It was madness.
“I’m sorry,” Mike said, stepping back and turning her around. His eyes were sincere and warm, tinged with nostalgia and troubled. “Mentioning her is the last thing I should do on dates. Talking about a past girlfriend isn’t exactly part of the blueprint for a successful new relationship.”
Relationship? Did he say relationship? Laura’s heart sang.