After letting the compliment roll over her, Olivia shifted in her seat and rose up on her knees. Bracing a hand on the back of the couch, she leaned over Samson and brushed her lips over Gabe’s. She kept the kiss light, lingering long enough to warm her blood all over again. Next, she trailed the kiss along the ridge of his jaw, savoring the hint of late-evening stubble against her lips before moving down his neck to his sternum. She let her lips linger in the hollow before returning to his chin. Below her, Samson shifted and pressed a back paw into her belly.

Gabe locked his hands in her hair and let out a soft murmur. “I wasn’t sure… I thought maybe you’d changed your mind.”

She pulled back enough to look him in the eye. Suddenly it hit her. Even though it didn’t seem like it, technically, this was a first date. Sleeping with someone on a first date’s a rebound thing, isn’t it?

Maybe it was sometimes. But she’d been broken up with Trevor for six months now, and there’d been no rebound dating except for the pathetic setups by Ava. Besides, she wasn’t looking for rebound sex. She wanted to sleep with Gabe. And not just tonight. Still, a thousand I-told-you-so’s rose up, words she’d heard from her family and Sunday school teachers and who knew who else, pressing down her excitement with the weight of a sandbag.

“It’s just now occurring to me that the fact that I hadn’t changed my mind might make you think less of me.”

She was just starting to sit back when he cupped his hands under her elbows. “Not a chance, Olivia. You’ve rocked my world. If you’re ready to take the next step tonight, I’m in. If you want to wait six months, I’m a big boy. I’ll wait.”

“Is it crazy to trust myself that I know what I want?” She gave an exasperated shake of her head. “The truth is, I’ve never felt this clear before. And now that I realize it, it’s a little bit terrifying.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “No pressure, but you know what they say—there’s a fine line between terror and excitement.”

Olivia sank back on her heels in consideration, a smile rising to her lips to match his playful one. He wasn’t going to pressure her, that much was clear. If she decided to head home right now, he’d let her go without giving her an ounce of guilt. “I think that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I’m terrified by how excited I am at the idea of being with you.”

His laugh was soft and easy. “Would you believe me if I said I get it? I’m battling my own round of nerve demons.”