She withdrew her hand and looked away. “Yes.”
Beck gnashed his teeth as he pulled into the parking lot, came to a stop, and killed the engine. “Will you date him again?”
“He wants me to.”
Of course he does. Horny fucker… “What do you want?”
Heavenly didn’t answer him for what felt like a year. “I said yes. He’s promised me time to figure out how I feel and…”
When she bit her lip anxiously, Beck knew what she hesitated to say. “Who you want?”
She nodded. “Are you mad? Maybe you’re not. I know you consider us friends—”
“We’re more than friends, little girl. Let’s get that straight right now.”
“Oh.” The soft flush stole across her cheeks again. “I wasn’t sure. I thought I’d been too forward when I asked you to kiss me—”
“I only said no because I wanted our first kiss to be special. If I’d touched you then, I would have tossed you to the ground, climbed on top of you, and not given two shits about the hordes of kids watching.”
Heavenly jerked her stare to him, all wide-eyed. “You would not.”
“Wanna bet?”
“I haven’t been sure what to think since you said no. Then our date at the gallery seemed so sexual, but you didn’t touch me. And I haven’t seen you much since, so I wasn’t sure if…”
“I wanted you? I do. More than air.”
“Oh.” A smile crept slowly up her face. “Oh.”
“I’ve tried to hold back so I didn’t scare you.”
She tilted her chin and frowned. “I don’t think you could.”
His deep laugh filled the car. “Oh, I’m the man your mother warned you about.”
Her face closed up. “My mother never warned me about anything. I haven’t seen her in eight years.”
That might be the most personal thing she’d ever shared with him. Beck wanted to ask a thousand questions, but he’d probably have to answer a thousand in turn. Besides, talking family got them off topic.
“I’m sorry. Mine wasn’t around much, either. My point is, I tried to move at your pace, but if I’ve misjudged it, I’ll be more than happy to speed things up.” He flashed her a devilish grin.
“M-maybe a little.” Then that furrow appeared between her brows again. “But if I want to date him, too, will you stop seeing me?”
Was that why Seth had taken off, because he couldn’t handle the competition? Yeah. Why else would he promise her time now to figure it out?
Heavenly’s question had exposed her insecurity. On one hand, it helped because a Dom couldn’t guide a sub without knowing her strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, it pissed him off that Seth had wounded her when he’d disappeared. So he squelched the jealous urge to make her choose and focused on implementing the last phase of his plan. If today went well, he’d hopefully leave Seth in the dust.
“Not a chance in hell. I won’t like it, but I won’t rush you to make up your mind.”
“Thanks.” She squeezed his hand and sent him a relieved smile. “I appreciate your patience.”
“Sure.” Beck wanted to growl that he’d been fucking patient, but he’d once told her he could be a patient man. Now he had to show her. “You ready for an adventure?”
“Yeah.”
The excited smile spreading over her face rivaled the sun. She was beauty, grace, and light. And for today, she was all his.
“Then let’s do this.”
When they climbed from the car, Beck grabbed his backpack and slid it over his shoulders, then wrapped an arm around Heavenly’s waist. As he led her up the uneven trail, they talked and laughed, stopping to rest in the shade and share the water and snacks he’d stashed.
Standing against a sturdy alder tree, Beck lifted a plump red grape to her lips. Their eyes locked. His heart revved and roared when Heavenly parted for him, biting the grape between her teeth. Barely containing a feral growl, he dragged his fingers over the soft texture of her lips as she bit down into the juicy morsel. He’d give anything to sink his teeth into the other half and devour her until they were a spent, sweating, panting tangle of arms and legs.
Not yet. Once he knew she trusted him, it was on. But until then, he had to dial it back. Maybe he’d already said too much, but instinct told him she would come through. That she belonged to him.
If she didn’t, it would gut him.
After the brief respite, he tucked the snacks away, tried not to wince at his pulsing erection, and hoisted the pack back over his shoulders.
As they continued their trek up the mountain, he pointed out a pair of whitetail deer.
“They’re so graceful and beautiful,” she whispered, her voice awe-filled. “Do you think we’ll see more?”
“Maybe. Keep your eyes open.”
As they got closer to their destination, they didn’t encounter more wildlife, just raucous laughter and high-pitched screams. Beck’s gut knotted with tension. In less than thirty minutes, he’d finally know if he had been pointlessly pining over Heavenly for the past three months…or whether they had a future.
“What’s going on over that hill? Sounds like a party.”
Beck squeezed her waist and drew her to a halt. “This is the other part of my surprise. You’ll find out over the rise.” He plucked a black satin blindfold from his pocket and dangled it from his finger. “How brave are you, little girl?”
Heavenly stared at the shiny scrap of fabric with wide eyes. “Y-you want to blindfold me?”
“I do.” For starters…
Heavenly swallowed tightly. “What if I trip or stumble over something?”
“I’ll be right beside you, holding on, just like I’ve been since we started up this trail.” He dragged a knuckle down her cheek. “I won’t let you fall.”
“I’ve never…”
“Worn a blindfold or let someone lead you through the wilderness?”
“Either.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked in a low, hoarse tone.
“Yes.”
She didn’t hesitate, and Beck felt a surge of something more potent than hope and stronger than lust. It wrapped around his heart and
