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“What kind of a guy do you think I am?” he faked being offended.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I have a good idea.”
He tenderly cupped my cheek with his strong hand. “Then you know we will never do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
I did know that about him. When we were together, he always made me feel safe and in control. But … “I can’t let you wreck me again.” My vulnerabilities came out. I was too tired to think straight.
He leaned in and kissed my brow, and then my nose. “I won’t. I can’t.”
“Of course you can.”
His impassioned eyes caught hold of mine. “No, I can’t. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you again.”
“I want to believe you, but your parents are already threatening to get me and Deidra fired. You know that, right?”
His face blazed red. “If they dare, I’ll resign. And then”—he grinned—“I’ll become a ski instructor, and we’ll lead wilderness excursions in the summer.”
“Ha ha. Funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“Tristan, as lovely as that once sounded, I love being a doctor.” I actually enjoyed working at Aspen Lake General, even if Evie was still scowling at me any chance she got. The rest of the nurses were amazing and had welcomed me, even though I was infamous in this town.
“Then we’ll open a clinic for you on your side of the lake. Whatever you want.”
Hmm. That was an intriguing thought. Being able to help people who couldn’t afford quality health care and stick it to the Grangers. Oh, they would be livid if the next duke didn’t ascend to the title. But this was insane thinking. “I don’t want our relationship to be about money.”
“Calista,” he sighed. “It wouldn’t be. Everything I have is yours.” He was certainly doing his best to make his case.
I let out a tired breath and groaned. “Can we talk about this later? Our niece is probably getting the wrong idea about us being out here for so long.” Besides, the long night and this morning’s events had fried my brain. I had no business making life-altering decisions in my state.
“I think she’s getting exactly the right idea,” he crooned, while his lips begged mine for a taste.
I pushed on his chest, more than wanting to give into his wish, but we needed to be cautious. “Hold on, lover boy. I feel like we should pace ourselves.” And I had declared we should never kiss again, but I was a consummate vow breaker.
He inched closer. “It’s been at least two hours since I’ve kissed you. I think that’s a reasonable pace, until we ramp back up to past levels.”
“And who says we will reach those levels again?” I playfully challenged him.
He stole a kiss. “Your eyes tell me everything I need to know.”
Those darn eyes. They were worse traitors than my fingers. Well, since I was already outed, I grabbed his shirt and pressed my lips against his for a second. Just enough, before I wanted to do nothing more than stay in his truck and fog up the windows. I let out a long, satisfied breath. My lips still tingled from his touch. “That should tide you over.” And hopefully it would satisfy me as well. Although, I already wanted another taste of him.
“Not even close. I’ll never get enough of you.”
“Are you sure? You went thirteen years without me,” I said snarkily.
“Worst thirteen years of my life.”
“You seemed pretty happy. You even got married. Stella showed me all the joyous photos.” I’d let her, only to prove they didn’t bother me. Inside, it killed a piece of my soul.
He swallowed hard and rubbed a hand over his stubbled cheeks. “I didn’t like the man you saw in those photos. It wasn’t me.”
“Because you’re not you without me. Isn’t that right?” I tried not to sound bitter, but he’d stolen from me, in a sense.
“Calista,” he whispered. “I know an apology will never fix what I did. But I am sorry. I’m a changed man.”
We shall see.
