Finding Our Forever (Silver Springs #1)(19)

“You’re sure? I could never hurt you?”

“No. I’m too good at keeping my gloves up.” He’d been trained from a young age...

She nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

That didn’t sound as though she’d make up her mind as quickly as he was hoping. “Any chance you could think fast?”

He wanted to kiss her so badly; the way she chewed on her bottom lip made him sort of light-headed. “We should probably give it a few weeks. See how we feel,” she replied.

“Weeks? Does it have to take that long? Because I’ve already made up my mind.”

She seemed uncertain. “There is something I should probably tell you...”

“And that is...”

More lip nibbling. “I’ve never had a strictly physical relationship.”

He shifted his gaze from her lips to her eyes. “Not even a one-night stand?”

“No.”

“What? You’re from LA!”

Her expression changed to one of outrage—until she realized he was joking. “Don’t even start with those stereotypes,” she grumbled. “Or I’ll go for the country bumpkin stuff.”

Somehow, he’d underestimated her. She wasn’t making it easy for him to ignore the attraction he felt. He liked her spunk. “Can you at least tell me what my chances are?” he asked, leaning a little closer.

“I’m the one who approached you, so...I’d say they’re pretty decent.”

“What made you approach me?” he asked, because that was a game changer. Otherwise, he would’ve continued to skirt around her indefinitely.

“There’s just something about you.”

All the things he could say to coax her, to convince her she wouldn’t regret spending the night with him rose to his lips. But he knew it wouldn’t be fair to put any pressure on her. She could easily regret the arrangement he proposed. And he didn’t want that.

Taking her hand, he held it to his chest so that she could feel how hard his heart was beating. Maybe he couldn’t promise her forever, but she wanted him. She’d just said so. And he wanted her.

Her hand moved slowly over his pectoral muscles in a curious caress that made him hard as a rock. He almost kissed her, was tempted to use his body to convince her if he couldn’t allow himself to use his voice. But as soon as he dipped his head, she seemed to understand they were only seconds away from “too late.” Once they crossed that line there would be no going back. One spark could cause them both to go up in flames.

“Like I said, I’ll think about it.” Pulling away, she started up the drive.

Disappointment bit deep. He stood there without reacting for several seconds, trying to overcome the letdown. Then he said, “Wait.”

She didn’t come back to him, but she turned, so he walked over and held out his hand. “Where’s your phone?”

When she pulled it from her pocket and handed it to him, he put in his number and gave it back to her. “In case the answer is yes. Maybe it won’t take as long as you think.”

*

Cora stared at Elijah’s number for at least an hour after he left. She switched between the contact information he’d put in her phone and the picture she’d taken of him out on that ride. She loved that picture so much. And yet...they’d never really spent any time together. It was ridiculous that she’d feel so compelled to call him.

She was just lonely, she told herself. She’d made a big change, was out of her element. She needed to forget about him and concentrate on what she’d come here to do, which was to teach and get to know Aiyana. She was part Nicaraguan. She had grandparents. She had uncles. These were the things she’d hoped to seek out. Her plans didn’t include Elijah.

But she couldn’t have anything serious with Elijah, anyway. Not without telling him that she was Aiyana’s biological daughter. And she wasn’t ready to do that. So he’d offered her the perfect solution: the chance to fulfill the desire he evoked without expectation.

After another ten minutes spent pacing around her small cottage, she decided to walk over to the pond. She thought sitting on the dock with the moon shining down on the water might help calm her mind. But even there, she was restless—too restless to remain on the jetty. Eventually, she made her way over to the horses’ pen where she hoped, with the animals, she wouldn’t feel quite so alone.

“There you are, big boy,” she crooned, petting the nose of Elijah’s giant horse when it ambled over to see her. “Looks like you’re not getting much sleep tonight, either.”

“You okay?”

Startled by the sound of Elijah’s voice, Cora turned to see a dark figure sitting on the fence of the llama pen not far away, in the shadow of the nearby barn.

She pressed a hand to her chest to compensate for the shock he’d given her. “How long have you been there?”

“Since before you came out.”

“You saw me, and you didn’t say anything?”

“I was considering it.”

“It took you a while to decide!”

“I wasn’t sure you wanted to be disturbed.”

Somehow it seemed like fate that they would run into each other again tonight. Or maybe she’d been subconsciously hoping for that, hoping for another opportunity, without actually having to call him. Although she’d never seen his house, she knew he lived on this part of the ranch, near the animals. She was hesitant to admit it, but, deep down, she was fairly certain that was why she’d come over here so often already. She’d been hoping to see him all along. “What are you doing out here?” she asked.