When we arrived in Pleasant Hollow, he parked across the street from the B&B and said, “Wait there,” before exiting the car. He came around to my side, opened the passenger-side door, and reached for my hand. After helping me out, he pushed me gently against the hood of the car and we stared at each other, unblinking and motionless. He stepped closer to me.

I sucked in a breath.

He inched forward again. The space between us was creeping toward nonexistent.

I watched his lips part before wetting my own, anticipating the inevitable kiss. I touched my hand to his heart, feeling it thump against my palm. I itched to pull him even further into my space but needed the first move to be his.

He lowered his head and softly—so softly I might have imagined it—brushed his lips against mine. His restraint was masterful. Then he tugged my lower lip into his mouth and sucked.

My knees buckled and I moaned. Fuck restraint. I grabbed onto his shoulder with one hand and his ass with my other. There was no longer my space or his. There was only ours. We kissed long and deep.

While I still had it in me, I broke the kiss. “I haven’t changed my mind about what I want.” I was panting.

His ragged breathing matched mine. “That’s good, because I have.”

“Meaning?” My heart hammered against my chest.

He pressed his lips into a closed smile. “It means I’m tired of being so afraid to care. Because I care about you, Adi Gellar. I really do.” He stroked the rim of my ear before tucking a strand of hair behind it. Then he leaned down and kissed the spot on my neck where I always dabbed perfume. “And I want you to care about me.”

His words sent euphoric tingles up and down my spine. “I care. I really, really care. But are you sure you won’t change your mind tomorrow? You were pretty adamant about not wanting a girlfriend. How can you change your mind just like that?” I snapped my fingers.

“It wasn’t…” He mimicked my gesture. “Just like that.”

“How was it then? Convince me.” I softened my voice. “I’m on your side, Finn. I want to be with you,” I said, rubbing his arms. “I just need to believe you’ve thought this through. I don’t want to get hurt.”

He licked his lips. “It’s not about wanting a ‘girlfriend.’ I want you. More than as a hookup or a short-term ‘we’ll always have Pleasant Hollow’ fling. But I wasn’t exaggerating about how bad things get sometimes with my dad. That said, I can’t make assumptions about what you can and cannot handle. I’ve laid it all out there, and if you’re sure…”