“What if I promise to look away?”
“Will you?”
I waited a few seconds, thinking over her question, and when her lips spread out in a smile, I slowly shook my head. “Probably not.”
Tipping her head back, she let out a laugh that I felt throughout my body. And I understood in that very second that I’d give anything to make her laugh like that over and over. She was gorgeous, absolutely beautiful, but her happiness, it was breathtaking.
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe
Dinner was great, but to be honest, I was so nervous I barely remembered tasting the food. I spent the entire time attempting to hide the way my hands shook from the excitement and anticipation of our evening.
It wasn’t like Landon and I had never been alone before. This time felt different, though.
Sure, we were trapped on a small fishing moat in the middle of a lake, forced to talk with no one else to intervene, but that was my element. I had always been a rugged country girl; I knew my way around a fishing boat or fields and animals. Granted, he played it off as if I had never once gotten my hands dirty; it sure was fun to prove him wrong. The other time we had the distraction of our friends, and it was easy to find comfort in the conversations and all the crazy. But now, it was just us. There was no one to cut in when there was a long pause. No one to keep him busy while I attempted to hide my blush that seemed to happen every single time he smiled at me. This was it, we were alone, and somehow my worries had convinced me that I was failing, and fast.
Stepping outside into the night air, I felt my body spring into action when Landon rested his hand at the small of my back. Such a simple, gentle touch but one that managed to make me feel secure and safe. His size might be intimidating to someone who hadn’t spent her life looking up at a man who was bigger than the moon. Or so it felt to a young child and even a petite adult.
Landon might not have been as big as my father, but he was close.
Feeling his body pressing against my own from behind triggered a flutter of hope inside of me. A desire to want more. A need to lean back into his touch and demand more.
Not wanting to appear overeager, I continued to move forward until his hand slid around my waist, and I paused near the sidewalk that led to the lot where his truck was parked. With his hand spread out over my stomach, my breath hitched when his fingertips curled in and my body moved backward farther into his embrace. Feeling his breath tickle the back of my neck, I closed my eyes and savored the way it all consumed me.
“I’m really glad we did this tonight.” It was just above a whisper, something that was meant for just me. “I’m not ready for it to end yet.”
My pulse quickened.
Off in the distance, I heard the low hum of music being played in the town square. I could almost imagine Hank Hughes moving his bow over the strings of his violin or Frannie Whitt with her eyes closed as she concentrated on the sound of her cello. It was something the two did often on a nice night. They would settle by the fountain and play for the townspeople, wanting nothing in return but the pleasure they’d find on their faces while enjoying their music.
“Let’s walk.” Landon fit my hand in his, almost like it had always belonged there. The delicate way he intertwined our fingers together calmed my racing pulse. “Unless you would rather—”
“No.” I said this far too eagerly, only making him laugh. “Walking sounds good.” Being near him actually was all I truly wanted, but the walking would prolong the evening.
As we rounded the corner, the fountain came into view, and sure enough, there Frannie and Hank sat with a small crowd gathered around them. I intended to join the group of townspeople, but Landon paused between two white pine trees, and I looked to my right to find him watching me.
“What?” I wondered for a second if I had something on my face or my hair had gotten messy from the soft breeze of the night. But when his lips tipped upward into a sly smile, I knew he’d created a plan.
“Dance with me.” He turned to face me without waiting for me to argue. As if I would have. He slid his hand around my waist, and with a gentle nudge, I came forward without hesitation. His body molded to my own, my hand resting over his heart and the other on his bicep. I could feel the flow of his breath fan over my shoulder and along the side of my neck. Closing my eyes, I did my very best to remain calm, but the truth was this man had crawled beneath my skin. He had managed to make me feel so many things in the last few hours that I wasn’t sure even if I tried that I would be able to hide the way my body reacted to him.
Landon was beautiful, the mirror image of the man I had imagined so many times in my life. The one to share my hopes and my dreams with, the one to keep me safe and make me feel alive.
“Are you cold?”
I knew it was because of the way my body was trembling that he asked this. I had a choice. I knew I could lie and say yes, ending this perfect moment when he decided we should go. Or I could take a chance and
