Page 23 of The Love Fix (The Sunrise Cove #8)

him beneath the NSYNC poster. “Not necessary.”

“I’m walking you home,” he repeated.

“I can literally see Daisy’s house from here, even in the dark.”

“This week alone we’ve had a band of coyotes hunting wild rabbits, a teenage bear hunting our trash, and rumors of two bobcats

looking for trouble.”

She stopped short, her stomach jangling uncomfortably at the thought of meeting any of those things on her walk back. “And if we run into anything like that, you’re going to what, exactly? Throw yourself in front of me, risking life and limb?”

He chuckled, a disembodied sound in the dark as he took her hand and they started walking. The feel of his palm warm and callused

against hers, grounded her. “How about if we just keep talking and making plenty of noise so that we don’t have to offer anyone

up as a sacrifice.”

“Well, if you’re going to be all logical,” she muttered.

They had only a sliver of a moon tonight, the sky glowing as the stars twinkled like jewels. She didn’t realize she’d stopped

just short of Daisy’s back porch until Heath turned her to him, studying her face. “You okay?”

Was she? She wanted something, yearned for something... but it felt out of reach. They stood toe to toe in between the

two yards, out of time and place, barely an inch separating them, reminding her of that night in the tent under a different

but similar sky, and her traitorous gaze dropped to his mouth.

Which slowly curved. “You want me to kiss you again,” he murmured, not a question, but a statement as he dipped his head closer

to hers.

No. Yes. “ Gah .” She glared at him. “This is all your fault.”

“I’m sure it is, but maybe you could be more specific.”

“Making me want this.” And then she fisted her hands in his shirt, went on tiptoes, and kissed him .

And it was like coming home. She heard the needy sound that escaped her throat, one that made him groan and haul her in even

closer. But then, far before she was ready, he pulled free.

At least he was also breathing hard. “We’re not in a tent,” she said, as casually as she could. “With a rock under your ass.”

“No, but your sister’s watching us out the window.”

She looked, and sure enough, the light she’d left on in Daisy’s kitchen was now off, and in the window she could see the very faint outline of her sister’s face.

Relief and frustration warred within her. Relief because they weren’t going to make a terrible decision and sleep together—at

least right now. Frustration because they weren’t going to make a terrible decision and sleep together right now.

And judging by Heath’s smirk, he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone.

But he didn’t know this: Both times he’d been able to let go of her far too easily, a terrible, ongoing theme in her life.

So it was that more than anything else that allowed her to step free and jab a finger into his chest. “We’re finished here.”

Another slight dip of his head. “Whatever you say.”

Ugh . She turned to go inside.

“Lexi.”

She stopped but didn’t turn back.

“To be clear, this wasn’t me not wanting you. This was me acknowledging you’re in the driver’s seat. What, if anything, happens,

the ball’s in your court. Always.”

“And what, you’re good either way?”

Something passed over his face, an emotion that came and went too fast for her to get a bead on it. “What I’m good with,”

he said, “is this being your choice.”

She tried to translate that. Thought about what she’d learned about him. He rarely, if ever, put himself first when it came

to the people he cared about. And given how he’d grown up, having lost his mom, his dad’s treatment of him... maybe he

didn’t believe what he wanted mattered. “And what would be your choice?” she asked very softly.

His eyes tracked to her mouth, and she could almost see the answer in his eyes... You . But he didn’t say it. Didn’t say anything, just took his bottom lip between his teeth, maybe to keep himself from spilling

his thoughts. They were inches from one another now, the air still thick and charged between them, her heart beating like

a drum.

He finally drew a deep breath. “You’re not the only one scarred by previous relationships. My grandpa loves to yank my chain,

but the things he told you tonight... He’s not wrong about me. I put bars around my heart a long time ago. It’s still incarcerated.”

“You... put your heart in jail?”

“Yes.”

Hard to blame him. And maybe this was a good thing. Maybe it put this thing between them, the thing they hadn’t labeled, on

notice. “So we’re on the same page, the page where we’re ridiculously attracted to each other, but neither of us is ready

for... more.”

He slid his hands into his pockets as he held her gaze, but didn’t use any actual words. Neither of them seemed able or willing

to step into the ring.

Good to know.

“Good night, Heath,” she whispered.

He gave a slow nod, still not giving anything away, so she had no idea if he even felt disappointed. Which, in turn, disappointed

her . Shaking her head at the both of them, she turned and walked through the yard and into Daisy’s house.

At least Ashley was smart enough not to wait for her in the kitchen.

Lexi strode straight to the drawer where her sister kept a bunch of vitamins she usually forgot, and pulled out the box of cookies she’d stashed behind them. Then she took herself and the cookies to bed.

The cookies did not show her a good time. All that happened was indigestion. Restless, staring up at the ceiling, she decided

that maybe Heath was onto something. As of this moment, her own heart would also be incarcerated.