I watched his mouth say the words, but I had no idea what to do with them. I didn’t know this dance, was clueless of the steps, but damn if his lead wasn’t one I was eager to follow.
When I didn’t say anything, he took my hand, kissing my knuckles one by one. With each kiss, I settled back into theknowingof him. Of how natural it was for us to touch.
How something I hadn’t had for so long was familiar now.
When he kissed the middle of my hand and glanced up at me through his eyelashes, the daydream from yesterday, the one from the dance with the Hammonds, flashed through my mind.
Adair kissing my knuckles just like this, at the beginningof a dance, just before he spun me around and wrapped me in his arms.
And then swept me away.
It wasn’t the first daydream I’d had about dancing with him, but one look at that scooter told me it’d stay that—a dream—for a long while.
“Where’d you guys end up last night?” I asked, grasping for the thread of conversation.
Delly and I had come home to an empty house yesterday after finishing up at the Locc and visiting Dad and Pops. I’d fallen asleep on top of the covers, waiting up for Adair, and one time during the night I’d woken up and had almost knocked on his door. But I wasn’t sure where Cole was, so I just turned toward his room and went back to sleep. But only after restarting my music, which I’d sorely missed listening to with him.
It was concerning how quickly I’d fallen into a routine with him and how much I was thrown off when it didn’t happen.
He placed our hands over his heart, and I felt his answering sigh more than I heard it. “Cole kidnapped me after my checkup and after a quick visit to Pops, he took me on a joy ride along the coast even though I told him I wanted to go home. But I guess word must’ve got around that I was pathetic, because he said I needed fresh air and sunlight.”
I balked. “You’re the least pathetic person I’ve ever met, Adair Jacks.”
His smile was shy, but his heart took off under my palm, and mine thumped harder in answer. “Someone should tell Cole that. He called me his little succulent and vowed he wouldn’t neglect me. I guess he keeps forgetting that he murdered mine by overwatering it.”
“I won’t let him overwater you.”
“My hero,” he whispered.
Sliding my hand up his chest, I grasped his smooth jaw in my hand.
Even perched on the knee scooter, he was still taller than me. After weeks of only seeing him sitting on the couch, I’d nearly forgotten just how big he was.
Or lying on his back.
Thatmemory had goose bumps erupting all over me. But no matter how much I ached for him, then and now, I did nothing but hold his face and look at him. Because, really, I was still trying to just…perceivehim.
Adair Jacks.Here, out in the world at large.
“What’s this?” he asked, brushing his fingertip over my furrowed brow.
Still the man who missed almost nothing.
“I’ve only ever seen you here. At Live Oak.” I said, gently smoothing his hair off his forehead.
He tipped his head to the side, pushing his cheek into my hand, and I could almost see him cataloging every time we’d crossed paths. His eyes flicked over me, as if he was placing me here, in this moment, like I’d been trying to do to him.
I waited for that feeling to hit me, for my goose bumps to turn into barbs.
I used todespisethe feeling of being known. Of feeling the weight of others’ impressions of me. When I showed up at Live Oak all those months ago, the very last thing I wanted was to be noticed.
It was still an effort to not wrap the blanket of shame I’d rode in with around my shoulders every day, my punishment for letting Dad down almost confused with comfort after wearing it for so long.
“Where would you like to go?” he asked, trailing his fingers down the side of my neck.
My eyes fluttered shut as I softened under his touch. Apparently, I loved being petted. I’d never known that until him.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
