“So why did you want to come out here?” I asked.

Instead of telling me why, he showed mewith his lips, his hands. And eventually we were on a pile of fallen leaves, testing just how far we could go. Breathless and a bit dazed, I rested atop his chest, running my fingers down the side of his face.

“Take off the gloves,” he demanded.

“No. It’s too much.” That was something we had learned last night. If a lot of skin touched, then, well, my. gift went into overdrive.

He tipped his head back and sighed. “Later, then.”

I smiled and dropped a kiss on the middle of his throat. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” He snuck a hand under my sweater and splayed it across my shirt. “Anything.”

“What made you decide last night to be okay with…?”

“I like it when you blush. Brings out your eyes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”

He chuckled as he tucked a strand of my hair back with his free hand. “I realized I wouldn’t lose control. Not with you. I…” He stopped, smiled slyly. “I just wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

I could tell there was more to it. “And you believed I wouldn’t hurt you?”

“I never believed you’d lose control, Em.” He reached up and threaded his fingers through my hair. “You’re good inside, better than any of us.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. I looked away, not wanting him to see how hearing him say that affected me.

“Hey. You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, chewing on my lip. “It’s just that… that was really nice.”

His hand drifted out of my hair and fell to my hand. “Will you answer a question for me?” When I nodded, he continued. “What do you draw? Can I look?”

I rolled off him and grabbed for my sketchpad, but Hayden was just so much faster. “Haydendon’tyoudare!” He had the creased pad in his graceful handshands I had sketched. Oh, God. “Don’t open it!”

He glanced up with a grin. “What’s in it, Em?”

“Just stufflook, no one has ever seen my sketches.”

“No one? Then I’d be honored if you’d let me see.”

Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair. “I suck. They’re really bad. You don’t want to see it.”

“Your cheeks are blood-red again,” he pointed out, settling back down on his arm.

“Yeah, well, then you shouldn’t look at it.”

“If it really bothers you, I won’t look at them.” He offered me the pad.