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“What?” I take in the easy way his lips quirk up. The way his arm rests behind me and his legs spread out casually in front of him.

I twist in my seat, facing him. “I just—” My gaze flirts up searching for the confidence to say the words. The apprehension coursing through my chest is a new feeling for me, but rather than shut down, I choose to be brave. I’m not going to get my answer any other way. “I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page. This is still just fun for you right?”

“If I said no would you freak out?” I swear I can physically feel the blood drain from my face. “I reckon by the way your face just paled, you would.” If he’s offended or hurt he doesn’t show it but I don’t dare try to swallow while his eyes search me so intently. “Listen, I’ll be honest with you, from the minute you and your perky nipples stormed into my inn in the middle of the night—I’ve been so far gone for you.” I vaguely register his fingers twisting the ends of my hair as I try to silence my thundering heart. “The more time I spent with you, the less I felt the need to be subtle about how I feltbecause frankly, I didn’t care. But don’t think for a minute that I did or said any of this because I thought it would be easy with you leaving. If anything, I thought about avoiding you because I knew you were leaving. But Taylor, I couldn’t stay away from you even if I wanted to.”

I clamp my lips between my teeth to hide my tremble as my heartbeat races dangerously fast. I squeeze the spot between my thumb and index finger and as subtly as I can, I suck in deep breaths through my nose. I’m having a very intense physical reaction to someone telling me they want to be with me but logically I know it’s the fear seeping in that this feeling could very well be monetary for him. Of course, he can say this now. I’m the shiny new toy in town but he can’t know that these are long-term feelings. I’m not even sure what the coming weeks will look like. Am I willing to let down every guard I’ve ever built?

A million thoughts, feelings, and questions crash into me at once like a barrel wave and I’m sucked under, unable to come up and catch my breath. But it’s Knox’s hand cupping my cheek that brings me back up for air at the top of this Ferris wheel. I don’t recognize my own soft whisper when I ask, “Why?”

“Because I like you.” The breath I was suffocating on tumbles harshly from my mouth. “I like your infectious energy and how protective you are.” I feel a foreign burn in my throat and a sting in my eyes. “I like that you like me for me, and not for who the world knows me as. More than anything, I like that you’ve shown me that there's more to life than rugby. I forget what I’ve lost when I’m with you because, with you, it feels like I have everything.”

My eyes are hot and my chest is heavy—a direct contrast to the way my mind is aimlessly floating and I can’t figure out which comment to grasp onto first.With you, it feels like Ihave everything.His hand snakes around, tightening along the back of my neck pulling back to reality.

The tremble in my hands is a direct result of how terrified I am to admit that for the first time in my life, I have these same feelings, that I’m right there with him. And if Knox can be bold enough to tell me how he feels, then I want to be bold enough to at least admit it to myself.

I blink back the burning in my eyes, take a breath, and sink into his side. His arm pulls me in tighter against his strong body and I drop my head on his bicep behind me. “Who says I like you?”

His head doesn’t move but his eyes crash into the deepest part of my soul. “You like me, Nova.” Maybe it’s accepting that I’ve known these feelings weren’t fleeting thoughts and I’ve only ever denied myself this one thing. But maybe this one thing with Knox would be worth the risk. “You don’t have to say the words. I can tell this is new for you. But I’m here and I’m ready when you are.”

I bite my bottom lip, and the bucket swings as the Ferris wheel spins, dropping us up and over the peak, and I let my guard fall down with it.

Knox

I pushmy cardigan sleeves up and drape my bare forearm out the window as I drive up to the main house. The evening fall air blows through my loose strands of hair, cooling my body slightly but somehow not enough. It’s been three days of non-stop laughter, stolen kisses, and many trips out to the barn. Taylor and I have been inseparable, but I still find myself unable to shake away the feeling like she’s driving with one foot tapping on the gas, and the other hovering over the break.

It doesn’t help that we’re dealing with the looming threat of time as well. Every day I spend with her, I continue to fall harder, making the idea of her leaving in a week feel almost unbearable.

I have a conversation with her in my head multiple times a day, where I ask her how she feels about staying. Sometimes I see her smile that full sunshine smile of hers, she says yes and we celebrate with feverish kisses. Other times I see her physically and emotionally back away, putting her hands up and looking at me like I’ve gone completely mental.

For all the time I’ve spent playing these imaginaryscenarios in my head, none of them have involved me explaining my offer from my old team. And I can’t very well ask her to stay if I don’t know how long I will be here, which creates all-new scenarios. I fist my hand through my hair, tugging lightly at the root, and then turn up the radio. The lyrics to the song Echo plays and my shoulders drop slightly as my breathing evens out and I get lost in the feeling of Taylor.

She’s here now.

Be here with her now.

After practice,I went home and showered quickly for our date tonight. A date that took some convincing no matter how entwined we’ve been the last few days.

“I’m taking you out to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Like, in public?”

“Yeah Nova, in public. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

“God you’re such a brute,” her cheeky little smile is so animated as she throws her head back with a laugh and I kiss the column of her neck without a care in the world.

I’ve been thinking about this all day. So much so that I was slightly less pissed off with Ronan’s bad attitude at practice today. Gravel crunches under my wheels and before I pull to a complete stop long legs and a full grin come flying out the front door. I put my truck in park and hop out, Taylor doesn’t stop when she hits the steps and my chest flips when she jumps from the last one, throwing herself into my waiting arms.

“Hello, love.” I hold her tightly and it’s as if my body had just been waiting for her to make that leap to me.

“I missed you today.” It’s not much louder than a whisperin my ear, but fuck does it light me on fire inside. She pulls her head back, her teeth dig into her bottom lip and her eyes search mine. There's so much happening in her eyes right now. There's sincerity, something resembling fear, warmth, intensity, and longing. A deep ocean of emotion plays in those beautiful green eyes. I brush away the hair that's trying to hide this real vulnerability from her face. For someone who doesn’t take many things too seriously, the things she does deem important are held behind the tightest lock and key. When I’m lucky enough to get a glimpse of them, I marvel at the beauty and beg for time to slow down.

“I missed you, too,” I say against her lips and feel her body relax into me. My fingers tangle in the back of her hair as I pull her mouth to mine and press a kiss to her lips. A soft moan sounds from the back of her throat and her lips part slightly. Her strong legs are wrapped tightly enough around me that I’m able to snake along the back of her crocheted top feeling bits of her skin beneath it. My tongue glides along her bottom lip before I enter her mouth and her hips grind down my stomach in response. I use my hand on the back of her head to hold her where I want her, exploring her mouth as thoroughly as I can until my erection starts to grow in my pants and I know if we don’t stop now I’m liable to flip her over the hood of my truck and fuck her right here. I tug her hair enough to pull her back and take in her deep red, swollen lips.

“Let’s go, I have a pretty girl to show off.”

We drivedown the road and I take her hand in mine, bringing her knuckles to my lips. “You painted your nails again.”

“You noticed?”