off this conversation for another decade or so, but he didn’t. Maybe it was the fatigue, the beer or the pain in Joelle’s eyes, but he nodded.
“Apology accepted,” he said.
She blinked. “You mean that?”
“Yeah.”
She got closer, studying his eyes. Then, she frowned. “You’re just saying that to get me off your back.”
“That’s part of it,” he readily admitted. “The other part is I do forgive you. I do understand.”
She still looked skeptical.
“Now, I need to know just one thing. How did you get past this?” He tapped his chest, his heart. “Because even though I didn’t know my baby existed before today, it’s killing me to know we lost her.”
“Yes.” And the tears instantly sprang to her eyes.
Dallas hadn’t wanted to make Joelle cry again, but the pain and tears were all part of this.
Joelle shook her head, then swiped at the tears. “Time helps. Some,” she amended. More tears came. And she tapped the locket she wore around her neck. “It helps that I have her picture with me everywhere I go. I can make you a copy. And give you copies of some other photos that my foster mother took during those few hours that Amber was alive.”
Dallas managed a nod. “I’d like that.”
They stood there staring at each other, and when Joelle’s tears didn’t stop, Dallas took her beer and put it aside. Put his on the counter, too, and he hooked his arm around her waist to lead her toward the guest room. She didn’t put up a fight.
“You need to sleep,” he insisted.
She didn’t put up a fight about that, either. In fact, it was pretty clear that Joelle wasn’t going to protest anything he did tonight.
And that made this a very dangerous situation.
The attraction was always there between them. Maybe even stronger than it’d been when they were teenagers. It would be so easy to start with a kiss that would land them both in the bed for some hot, satisfying sex.
But she wasn’t in any shape for that.
They were both dealing with the hurt from the loss of their baby. Both were battling the adrenaline crash from the hellish day. Plenty of good reasons for him to back away, but Dallas still had a hard time doing it.
The next sound he heard sure didn’t help.
It was the low rumble of thunder outside. He hadn’t had time to check the weather, but from the sound of it, there was a storm moving in. Joelle wasn’t a fan of bad weather. In fact, years ago it’d been something close to a phobia.
She froze in the doorway of the guest room, her attention zooming right to the window where the rain was already tapping against the glass. He felt her muscles go stiff, and her breathing became a little uneven.
“I can sleep outside your room,” he offered. Not exactly the offer he would have made when they were at Rocky Creek. In those days, he’d risked Webb’s wrath by sneaking into her room and holding her until she fell asleep.
No fear of Webb’s wrath tonight, but holding her—like kissing—would lead to sex.
He cursed.
Hell, anything at this point might lead to it.
She looked up at him. Her eyes were wide. “It’ll be okay.”
That was a lie, but to call her on it meant he’d have to make that hold-her offer that would get them on the bed together. He would do it. If she pressed it.
Dallas waited for her to press it.
And he cursed himself again because part of him wanted her to press.
Joelle was breathing through her mouth now, and her warm breath was hitting his neck. Almost like a kiss.
Like before, she studied his eyes. Maybe trying to figure out what to do. But he studied her eyes, too, and he saw the heat there. One touch. Just a brush of his body against hers, and both of them would be goners.
“Yes,” she whispered because she no doubt knew exactly what he was thinking. She also knew why he hadn’t already latched on to her and started what would be stupid to start.
Just when Dallas was sure his willpower had turned to dust, she shook her head and stepped away. “It’ll be okay,” Joelle repeated.
She grimaced at the next rumble of thunder, but while grimacing, she stepped away from him. “Good night, Dallas,” she whispered. “Get some sleep.”
There was zero chance of that. He was aroused beyond belief, and that aroused part of him was begging him to go to her.
He didn’t.
Dallas used every bit