Page 68 of Sin With Me

"Wow. I'm impressed." He smirks. "Who knew you could resist Delilah after all this time?"

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. She flipped out because she thought I was rejectin' her. But then she thanked me for stoppin’ it because she claims the timing’s all wrong and is still havin’ a hard time with her dad’s death."

"That's valid, especially since Harlow was kidnapped on the same day it happened. She's been through a lot."

"I didn't even know she wanted me like that, so I was surprised. All this time, I assumed she could hardly stand me. Turns out she's been fightin' her feelings just like I have."

"So what happened after?"

I scratch my cheek, contemplating how much to tell him.

"She asked me to forget about what we did that night and go back to being just friends, and I told her I couldn't. Then I said I needed some time apart to get over my feelings for her because being around her was too hard."

"Oh shit. Youreallylike her." He widens his eyes. "I had no idea you were so down bad."

I roll my eyes at his Taylor Swift reference. The curse of being married to a Swiftie.

"No one did, really."

Since I never told my brothers how I called a crisis hotline and talked to her for six months before meeting her as Waylon's new girlfriend, there was no way to casually bring up why I've felt something for her all this time. Something deeper than attraction.

"Did the time apart work?"

I breathe out a humorless laugh. "Not even close. Actually, it made it worse. Not talkin' or seein' her made me want to talk and see her even more. When that article about Jonah cameout, I asked her why she helped him and then we argued a little. Later that night, I picked her and Mattie up from the Mexican restaurant and they were drunk off their asses—with Jonah. I made sure they got home safely and texted her the next mornin' to check on her, but that's it."

"Sounds like you need to use the next few days to decide what you're gonna do. If you can't get over your feelings but you don't want to stop hangin' out, you're gonna have to learn how to suffer in silence. And trust me, I did that—for years. I had to watch Magnolia with her douchebag on-and-off again boyfriend and wait for the right moment."

"And what was the right moment for you?"

"It doesn't exist, man. There's nooneright moment to tell the woman you're secretly in love with her that you love her. When I thought she was crushin' on some random dude, I snapped. Ask Landen. Nearly kicked his ass until he told meIwas the dude she was crushin’ on. That was the bigahamoment. Not necessarily the right moment because I made a fool of myself for makin' assumptions, but it wasthemoment that made me realize if I didn't do somethin' now, I could lose her forever."

"But Magnolia jumped all in with you. How do I convince Delilah to at least give us a shot? Or a chance to prove myself?"

Tripp contemplates it for a moment. "You show her. She thinks she's not ready because she's scared and protectin' her heart. If she's been into you for a while, it's understandable why she's hesitant. She's had to watch you hook up with girls for years and never make a commitment. Prove to her you're ready by your actions."

"Okay." I nod, swallowing hard. "And how do I do that?"

Tripp grins, staring at Magnolia from across the gate. "Never give her a chance to doubt your intentions. Lay everythin' out so she knows exactly where you stand."

I'm stuck sitting next to someone I don't know since I'm the third-wheel. Delilah and Mrs. Fanning are a few rows in front of Tripp and Magnolia who are ahead of me. Less than two hours later, we land in Dallas for our layover.

And this time I'm determined to speak to her since I didn't get the chance to before we took off. Magnolia hogged her the entire time and then when we boarded, Delilah walked on with her mom.

"How were the airport cocktails?" I ask from behind while she stands in line for coffee. Mrs. Fanning is sitting at a table while Tripp and Magnolia walk around, so I take the opportunity to get her alone for a few minutes.

She turns until she faces me. "Expensive, but good. Definitely helped the pre-flight anxiety."

"Yeah, that was a bumpy ride."

When the plane hit turbulence, a chorus of gasps echoed throughout the cabin, and I had to hold onto the seat in front of me until it stopped.

"Shoulda had one with us," she says with a genuine smile, and I consider that a good sign. "Unless you're waitin' for Vegas before drinkin'?"

Stuffing my hands in my front pockets, I shrug. "Didn't wanna interrupt your girlfest."

With a snort, she turns and moves through the line. Her blue eyes meet mine over her shoulder. "Since when do you care about interruptin'? You love being the center of attention."

"That's not true..." With my arms pulled back behind me, I draw closer. My lips brush the shell of her ear as my voice drops to a whisper, "I love being the center ofyourattention."