Not when it was accompanied by all this emotion, this worry and excitement and anguish and anticipation. This need to dance in his circle of light and hold him close.
That was the thing about love. Sometimes it was a visitor, drifting in and out of a person’s life, giving them great joy for as long as they wanted to keep it. Then leaving when they were done or ready to move on to another kind of love. Other times, it stayed with a person forever, the kind of love that, like the fireflies, flickered and brightened, then diminished to a soft glow so translucent, it was hard to see. But it was always there, even when covered by darkness, and it was the kind of love that lasted forever.
It was what she felt for Boone. What she’d always felt. And now she knew, without a doubt, that it was never going away.
Poppy shook out her limbs and let those memories invade her mind, because right now, she felt more comfortable in the past. In a place and time when the world was still filled with endless possibilities.
“What is this place?” Poppy whispered, letting Boone lead her through the dark.
“It’s my place,” he replied. “Just wait. We’re almost there. Close your eyes.”
His hands found their way around her waist, and he held her in front of him, prodding gently from behind. “Are they closed?”
She felt silly but didn’t want to tell him that, so Poppy nodded and whispered, “Yes.”
“Good.” His warm breath fanned her neck, and instantly, her young body responded, blood rushing, heart pumping, an ache blooming between her legs. They’d been having sex for weeks now, and it was all she thought about. The idea that another human being was inside her body consumed and fed Poppy’s romantic notions until she fell asleep every night with thoughts of Boone Avery drifting beside her.
She nearly tripped over a root, but his hands kept her steady, and when he stopped and pulled her close, she all but melted into him.
“You can look now.”
Slowly, Poppy opened her eyes, and what she saw astonished her. A tent was set up on the far side of the clearing, strung with solar patio lanterns that glowed softly and cast shadows. Fireflies flickered and danced in the darkness beyond, and a firepit was set and ready to go with kindling. A log had been dragged to the side of it to sit.
“When did you do all this?” she whispered, taking a step forward as her heart threatened to crush her soul. He’d done this for her?
“I got off work early and spent the afternoon hauling everything down here.” He reached for her. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.” She nestled her head against his chest and bit her bottom lip as doubts began to crowd her mind. If only her mother hadn’t started in about Boone and his playboy father and how the apple never fell far from the tree. “Have you…” Mouth dry, she exhaled and cleared her throat.
“Have I what?” he murmured, kissing the side of her neck, there where he knew she liked it.
Poppy pushed at him because she needed to see his face.
“Hey, are you okay?” Boone asked slowly.
She saw the confusion in his eyes. “Have you ever brought another girl here?”
His features softened as Boone reached for her. “No. Never. Only you.”
Poppy melted into him, and their fevered kisses led to the tent, where they quickly undressed and made love. It felt different somehow. Urgent and hot. It was as if she was filled with a need only he could satisfy.
And later, as he held her trembling in his arms, she whispered, “I love you.”
Boone heard her. It was in the way his breathing stopped and his arms tightened for a few moments before they relaxed. He pulled them underneath the blankets, and the silence pressed in.
Boone heard her, but he didn’t answer.
And the next day, he was gone.
Chapter Nineteen
“Are you sure we have to give her back?” Benji sniffled and buried his face in Mabel’s neck.
“She’s not ours, Benji.”
“But I want her.” His son pouted and glanced up at Boone over his glasses. Boone’s heart turned over, but he had to steel himself not to fall for it. It was a look Benji had used many times in the past—a look that usually got him what he wanted. His kid was so damn adorable, he was hard to resist.
But not this time.
He shook his head and slid out of the