He didn’t reply, letting her words hang heavily in the air. Her eyes widened.What the hell?
“Lawson, is something going on?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
He shook his head at once, but she could tell from the look on his face that he was lying to her.
“Is someone threatening the lodge again?” she persisted.
“No,” he replied. “I’m just… I’m trying to do what’s best for you. To protect you.”
She locked her eyes on to his, tension strung tight between them. Tension that she tried her best to ignore. Because he was one of the owners of the lodge, and her boss. It would make things way too complicated if something happened between them—even though she truly wanted it to.
But now, as he stood before her, she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes burned into hers. The way his body shifted to be closer to her.
“I don’t know how to explain it all to you right now,” he told her. “But I will. I promise.”
“You better,” she muttered. “Because right now, it seems like you just want me gone.”
“That’s not it at all. Please believe me.”
“Then tell me how you really feel,” she demanded. She wanted him to acknowledge what was between them. She wanted to know that it wasn’t all one-sided on her part. Didn’t she deserve that? Or, more to the point, didn’t they?
“You know how I feel about you,” he murmured.
She shook her head and took a step toward him. The warm air around them seemed to be holding its breath, waiting to see how this was going to turn out.
“I don’t, not really,” she protested. “You’ve never told me.”
“You’re good at your job,” he told her.
“And is that it?” she asked. “I’m good at my job and that’s why you want to keep me around?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“No, I can see that,” she said. She knew this wasn’t fair, this wasn’t the smartest way to go about this conversation, but right now, she didn’t give a damn. She just wanted him to admit it—to admit what they had been dancing around for months now.
She continued. “You want me out of your hair, so you can, I don’t know, focus on someone else?”
His eyes drilled into hers, a flash of anger passing across his face. “That’s not true,” he growled. His voice dropped, the emotion finally showing. That was what she needed to see from him—the proof that whatever was happening here, it wasn’t just in her head. There was something between them. No matter how complicated that might make things.
“So what is true, then?” she asked. “Why are you trying so hard to get me to leave?”
“Because I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you,” he responded through gritted teeth. Normally, Lawson was so careful in how he carried himself, but right now, she could see the restraint cracking—she could see him giving in to this feeling between them.
“You’re being selfish,” she protested. “You just want me gone so you don’t have to deal with whatever this could be between us.”
“That’s not it at all,” he replied, moving closer to her, hands coming to her arms, like he was holding her in place. Making sure she wouldn’t slip through his fingers. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes flicked to his mouth and the stubble across his strong jaw. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch it, to feel it beneath her fingertips.
“Then tell me to stay,” she breathed. “Show me that you don’t want me to go.”
Those words hung between them, almost a dare—she was pleading with him to show her just how much he needed her there. Hopefully, as much as she needed to be there with him. He was the grounding force that had kept her on her feet these last few months, and she couldn’t bear the thought of being somewhere without him.
But, instead of speaking, he drew her close to him and pressed his lips onto hers for the first time.
The moment their lips touched, she melted into him. This was what she had been waiting for all this time—his kiss, his promise, the knowledge that he felt this need between them, too. Though they had both pretended not to notice it for the sake of keeping things professional, there was no denying it.
His arms slid to her waist and he gripped her tightly, like he didn’t want to let her go. She reached up, her fingers finding purchase in his hair, the feeling almost surreal after all this time. They were outside the lodge, where anyone could see them, but she didn’t care. It felt like the world stood still to give them this moment. It felt right.
When he held her, she felt safe in a way she hadn’t in a long time. That sure, strong sense of certainty, knowing that nothing could hurt her as long as she was right here, in his arms. Thiswas where she belonged, whether she had been willing to admit it or not. She was just glad they were finally having this moment between them.