He shrugged. “I said I’d get things cleaned up, right?”
She offered him a shy smile. “Sure, but I didn’t think…”
“What? That I would actually do it?” He flashed her a grin he prayed would show just how much he liked her—how serious he was about spending time with her. There wasn’t much more he could do on the matter. This connection he felt with her had begun to get overwhelming at times.
Was it possible that Angela was right? Should he simply tell her that he liked her—more than how a friendship could be defined?
No.
He didn’t want to scare her off. He needed her to see that he was a viable option before he told her the extent of his feelings.
Mack remained standing in the living room between the television and the coffee table. There wasn’t much else he could do to clean up. Lacey was one of those people who valued being organized. Everything had a place and a purpose.
It made sense, really. Her place was too small to allow for much else.
Her hands were behind her back, presumably to hold onto the doorknob. She didn’t move from her place, either.
If he were a more confident man, he would close the distance between the two of them and finish what he’d started. He wanted to kiss her, to claim her lips as his own. He wantedto show her that she didn’t have to be scared of a relationship with him because he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d never let anything happen to her.
But he didn’t.
His legs refused to move.
Why couldn’t he take those half-dozen steps toward her? What was wrong with him?
Mack fidgeted. She was probably tired. And he would rather things not get awkward when Angela came home. Avoiding that awkwardness was his main excuse for planning an activity while he knew Angela was gone. He wasn’t sure how Lacey’s older sister would react if she found out the one he cared for was in fact living under the same roof as herself.
“So…” Lacey drawled.
“So…” Mack added, a sly smile spreading lazily across his face. “How was the kid?”
Her brows lifted, and he reveled in her surprise.
“Fine—he—uh—he was just wanting a song.”
The woman was perfect. There was no other way around it. The fact that she hadn’t already been scooped up by some other man was more than a surprise. “What song did you sing?” he pressed.
“Just a song I learned when he was a baby.” Lacey looked away, and she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth. “Thanks again for coming. It… this… it was fun.” Her eyes met his once more.
It was that look that spurred him forward, and he took several steps toward her until they were standing only a couple feet apart. “Does this mean we can officially go out again?”
“Mack,” she muttered with exasperation, “I told you?—”
He held a finger to her lips, and she sucked in a breath. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “I’m not going to ask anymore.” Mack wasn’t sure if he saw a flicker of disappointment or relief in her eyes. Regardless, she’d misunderstood his statement. A devilish grin took ahold of him, and he tilted his head as he shifted his hand so he could brush the pad of his thumb along her jaw. “I’m not going to ask anymore, because I’m telling you. We’re going to go out again.”
She blinked several times before she snorted. “You can’t just?—”
“Stop fighting this,” he said, his voice raspy. “I don’t know why you’re so insistent that we keep our distance, but I’m telling you right now, it’s unnecessary. You can’t claim that you don’t feel this pull between us. I’ve felt it since the moment I laid eyes on you at my family’s barbeque.”
Lacey didn’t argue, thank goodness. Her wide eyes rounded further, and he allowed himself to drown in those baby blues.
“We’re going out again. I just need to figure out when the best time would be.”
“Mack—”
“You’ve been working so hard to take care of your son that you’ve neglected to take care of yourself.”
“What? No, I haven’t.” Even her words sounded weaker than before.
