“Whoa.” With his great reflexes and a responsive sports car, Seth was able to make the turn.

“Sorry about being a lousy navigator,” she said sheepishly.

“No need for that.” He stole a quick glance at her before focusing back on the road. “Okay. Do we just follow this road from here on?”

“Yes.”

And that was what Tara intended to do as well. She would keep walking the path she had been on. The safe road where no love existed. Where no pain existed.

The field near the edge of the hill was tightly packed with the flowers he’d admired at the florist. The late-morning sun shone softly down on the lavender-colored blossoms, lighting everything to a crisp clarity. Tara stood a few feet away, running her hand over the tall grass.

She’d grown quiet in the car on their way over. Seth had no idea why, but his eyes kept following her, observing her in a rare solemn mood. Her ever-present smirk was smoothed out, and her lips looked wider and fuller. Her sharp, ever-watching eyes seemed faraway, and a single furrow marked the space between her eyebrows. He wanted to smooth it out with words and touch, but he held himself back.

This still and pensive Tara was achingly beautiful. But Seth didn’t know where she’d gone, and it bothered him not to know. How could he, though? He’d only just started getting to know her. Even though he found new facets to the fascinating woman whenever they spent time together, it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. He was hungry to know everything about her. Her hopes, fears, and dreams. What made her happy. His heart thumped against his chest with his fierce desire to make her happy.

The realization hit him physically, making him take a step back from Tara. Where the hell did that come from? Sure, he wanted to give her a good time, but it wasn’t his job to make her happy. That wasn’t what this was about. He was leaving in three weeks. If he made her happy, wouldn’t his leaving make her sad? His chest felt tight and sore at the thought. He couldn’t bear the thought of causing her any kind of pain.

He had to be honest with himself. Being with Tara felt … different. It didn’t feel like the comfortable camaraderie he’d shared with his friends with benefits. It didn’t feel like fondness and respect. The respect was there—perhaps more strongly because it was her—but he felt a connection to her he hadn’t felt with anyone else. Not even Jessica. The way his heart stuttered every time he set eyes on Tara. How making her laugh made him want to stick his chest out and crow. How everything she said and did was … more. He was developing feelings for her that he swore never to feel for anyone ever again.

He didn’t know how he felt about it. Paralyzing fear? The desperate urge to run in the other direction yelling never again? Nope. After years of hiding behind the defensive wall he’d erected, the gaping holes Tara punched through it didn’t alarm him. The closest thing to how he felt was huh, how ’bout that.