What If You & Me (Say Everything #2) - Roni Loren Page 0,48
jaw flexed, her tone saying everything she wasn’t. “Someone hurt you.”
She looked down, her posture closing. “Yeah. Inside a house with the best security system money can buy. So I honestly don’t know why I think Christmas bells would help anything.”
His lungs deflated as a sharp kick of anger went through him. Someone had hurt Andi. Sweet, upbeat Andi. Hurt her badly enough that she never felt safe, that she expected dates to spike her drink and murder her in her sleep, that she spent her life immersed in horror to prepare herself. He wanted to ask all the questions, but he could tell she’d said more than she wanted to.
He moved into her space and reached out, putting his hands on her upper arms. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up, black liner smudged. “For what?”
“That you had to go through whatever you’ve been through. That some pathetic excuse for a human hurt you. I’m sorry you don’t feel safe.”
“Thanks.” She blinked, her eyes going a little shiny. “If it makes you feel better, I feel safer right now.”
His chest filled up with relief at that. “I’m glad. You can feel safe with me, Andi. I swear. I’ve got shit I’m dealing with and my life is kind of a dumpster fire right now, but I would never harm you—or anyone. I became a firefighter because I wanted to be one of the good guys.”
She stared at him for a long moment and then stepped forward, bringing her fully into his space. Before he realized what was happening, she slid her arms around his waist, put her cheek to his chest, and hugged him. The feel of her against him was a shock, but his reflexes finally caught up, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. Her head tucked right under his chin and the smell of her fruity shampoo filled his nose. He closed his eyes and gave himself over to the moment.
But what started as comfort seemed to morph into something else as the hug went on, the air crackling with it. His body began to take notice of Andi’s curves, her softness, her warmth. His heart picked up speed. He stayed very, very still.
Her hold on him eased after a while, and she leaned back a little, looking up at him, so close he could see the dark-blue ring around her pupils. She wet her lips. “Hill?”
“Yeah?” he said, his voice suddenly hoarse as he worried she could read his thoughts on his face. In his previous life, he would’ve labeled Andi’s expression as an invitation to be kissed. But he didn’t trust his instincts on that anymore, so he stayed stock-still.
However, he didn’t have to worry about misreading things for long because Andi pushed up on her toes and leaned in. He closed his eyes, anticipation rushing through him, but instead of feeling her mouth against his, he felt the soft brush of her lips against his cheek.
“Thanks for coming over,” she said softly and then her warmth was gone.
He let out a breath and opened his eyes as she stepped back, trying to get his brain back on track. “Sure. Thanks for the invite. This was fun.”
She nodded and gripped her elbows again, looking more closed off than he’d seen her all night.
“You okay?” he asked, frowning.
She gave him a humorless smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. I think I pushed past my limit tonight.”
He had a feeling her limit wasn’t only about the late hour, but he got the hint. “I’ll head out. Let you get some rest.”
She nodded and they made their way to the front of the house. When he stepped out onto the porch, she said, “I still plan on giving you that tour.”
“Look forward to it,” he said, the awkwardness growing. “G’night, Andi.”
“’Night.”
Before he made it to his door, he heard the lock turn on her side and the beep of the alarm.
A sense of loss moved through him as he stepped into his empty half of the house, but he was thankful that at least he hadn’t acted on his stupid instinct to kiss her. He really would’ve ruined things then. He needed to get it through his head that Andi wasn’t looking to kiss him or touch him or do anything else with him besides hang out. Hell, she might have just been making him feel better by telling him she thought he was attractive.