So, I had to do this. Pretend to go along with whatever Matt said so that he’d take me where I needed to go.

Still, Lucas’ reaction was freaking me out. It was like I was missing something. It took me a bit, but I finally worked up the courage to ask. “Why are you so upset? You don’t even know me. Not really.”

“That’s not true. You told me all about your life. I think I know a lot about you, especially now.”

No. I wasn’t buying that. He was upset. And then all the touching. And the way he’d acted when I first met him. Something was up, but I didn’t want to assume anything that wasn’t right. I wanted to know that I wasn’t imagining things.

“That could be right, but you’re not telling me what’s really bothering you. Why not?”

When he turned his head, I saw the glow in his eyes. His wolf was close. I knew enough to know that that was dangerous. “You don’t want me to answer that. Not yet. You’re not ready.”

If I didn’t want the answer, I wouldn’t have asked the question. “Ready for what?”

He gave me a small smile that had a hint of sadness. It wasn’t his big one that made my heart stop. This one made it ache instead. “Me.”

“You?”

He nodded.

I licked my lips as I searched for what to say. Honestly, I was feeling so many things—fear, longing, hope, to name a few—that I wasn’t sure how to articulate anything. “I… I…”

“Don’t worry about it, princess. I know you’re not ready. We’ll get you through this, and then we’ll deal with what’s next.”

I swallowed, suddenly feeling short of breath in a way that had nothing to do with the altitude. “Okay.”

He reached over and grabbed my hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

I nodded. “Okay.” A hint of panic hit me.

He liked me. Like liked me liked me.

Oh boy. Why is everything so complicated?

He ran his thumb up and down my hand, and I glanced at him.

He winked, giving me a different small smile. This one had hope.

I relaxed back against the seat. “Holy moly.”

He laughed. “I told you, you weren’t ready.”

“No kidding.”

Me? With Mr. July?

Oh boy…

***

By the time we pulled up to the hotel, the silence had become tense. It wasn’t the easy silence that we’d had moments—or what felt like moments—before. No. That was gone. Lucas was growing more agitated the closer we got to the hotel.

He put the van in park. “Are you sure there isn’t another way?”