road all the time. And that in turn made me sad because I hated to think I’d misjudged him so much. I’d pegged him for one of the good guys. Had it all been a bunch of lines? Had he lied to me?
Before I could work up a strongly worded feminist manifesto to unload on him, he said, “Can I still hold your hand?”
It took me aback. The question sounded so shy, so unsure, even though he’d had his tongue in my mouth five minutes earlier. Instead of pointing that out, I said, “I’d like that,” surprised to hear the same shy, unsure tone in my own voice.
We were an awkward pair.
Rather than snatching me like a teenager, he slid his hand down the inside of my wrist and across my open palm until his fingers clasped mine. It was at once so hesitant and confident, so seductive, that I nearly changed my mind about going to his place.
For another block, we walked, together yet apart. I was aware of the contact between us, but there was a divide. I didn’t know how to cross it.
As if life wanted to bring metaphors to life, a traffic light forced us to wait for the signal to continue. He dropped my hand and spun to face me. “I’m sorry for coming on so strong. I tend to rush into things when I know what I want.”
“Oh?” I focused on keeping my eyes from bugging out.
“I’m like a kid seeing the best toy at the store and demanding to have it now.”
“Toy?”
He pressed his fingertips against his closed eyelids with a shake of his head. “Bad analogy.”
The white hand beckoned for us to walk, so we crossed the street and passed a coffee shop I was sure I’d seen before. Was that where I’d seen Micah and Jo in the tabloids?
Another tree-lined street, another row of townhouses, but things began to look familiar. We were close to Jo’s now. As we closed in on the steps to her house, Shane slowed. He took a breath and looked me straight in the eyes. “Can I just speak plain? I mean, is it too soon to tell you what I really think?”
A shiver shot down my spine. “No. Tell me.”
“Okay, but if I freak you out, just pretend we’re cool for at least as long as it takes for us to get to Jo’s. I don’t think I can bear an outright rejection.”
I lay my hand on his chest. “Do I look like I’m freaking out?”
“You look like you’ve stepped through a portal into another dimension and your normal rules no longer apply.”
“Huh?” His analogies were more confusing than the plain speak he’d promised. I tightened my fingers in his to lend courage. “Okay. Go on with your plain talk.”
“There’s a lot going on here, and I’m chasing after the puzzle pieces trying to make sense of the big picture.”
“Explain.”
“So, you’re new to town, right? And you haven’t figured out what’s up and what’s down. You don’t even have a place to live.” He didn’t wait for me to agree. “Part of me wants to warn you not to trust that stranger you only just met. That you shouldn’t be here with me on this dark street. That you should not under any circumstances go up to my apartment.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand.
“However, you happen to have exceedingly good judgment.” He flashed a sheepish grin. “I mean, I’m a nice guy. I have no intention of taking advantage of your apparently trusting nature.”
“How do you know I’m not the sociopath?”
“I’m getting to that.” He scratched his neck. “I don’t know why I felt immediately drawn to you. Maybe it was because you sided with me against Noah’s stupid teasing. Maybe it’s simple physical attraction. Maybe it’s love at first sight.”
My heart hammered in my chest. Was I starting to freak out?
“Shit. I’m not good at this.” He clasped my other hand, and we stood there on the sidewalk, looking like we were exchanging vows.
He really was not good at this. I squeezed his hands and waited.
“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t know what you expect, and I can’t predict the future, but I’m interested in getting to know you.”
It was a bit unnerving that he came on so strong, so honest, but at the same time I found it endearing that he was floundering. Then it hit me. “Are you nervous?”