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“Yes.” He plowed his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “But he’s going to find out sometime.”
“Find out what exactly?”
Nick tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”
“What are we doing, Nick?” She licked her faded lipstick. “What IS this?”
“Whatever you want it to be.”
So dismissive, so bloody non-committal. Fuck! Evie’s stomach dropped. “You serious?!”
Nick swiped a hand over his closing eyes and shook his head. “Sorry. That was a misguided and obviously failed attempt at self-preservation.”
“What does that even mean?”
He dropped his hand, his gaze finding hers again. “For the past week I’ve been on tenterhooks wondering if what I want and what you want are the same thing.”
His words sucked all the air from the room. Evie picked at the waist of her dress. “Which is?”
“I’d never pressure you,” he answered quietly.
“Just tell me!” she urged, her eyes bulging.
His posture stiffened as he swallowed. Hard. “To get back together.”
Giddiness exploded through Evie’s veins, releasing her breath and a radiant grin. “I want that, too.”
Nick’s shoulders dropped. “Oh, thank god!” Sweeping her into his arms, he kissed her with reverence, the haste of earlier gone.
Not that Evie was alarmed or disappointed. She took her own sweet time, too. Mouth-crushing snogs and teasing tongues, while sexy as hell, could wait. Nick wanted a relationship with her, and she no longer had to rush every kiss like their bubble was about to burst. They had all the time in the world to discuss their past, to figure things out…to tell Sam.
She smiled against Nick’s mouth. “As much as I want more of this, you’ve got a job to do, Mr. Best Man.” She brushed the pad of her thumb along his mouth, removing a smudge of lipstick. “We should head back down. If we’re both missing, Sam might put two and two together.”
“Well, let’s give him and everyone else something worthy of a good gossip.” Nick’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s walk in holding hands.”
There had been a time when young Evie would’ve handed over her pink flip phone and glittery-wheeled roller skates in exchange for Nick suggesting such a thing. Thirtysomething Evie, however, knew there was more to gain if they stayed under the radar a little longer. “I’d love to, but we can’t steal the newlyweds’ thunder.”
Nick played with a loose tendril of hair by her ear. “Another reason why I adore you—always thinking of others.”
“And thinking of how sexy it’ll be…watching you across a crowded room like a stranger I’m dying to get into bed.”
“Look, but don’t touch?” He briefly bit his bottom lip. “Foreplay dialed up to eleven equals explosive orgasms later.”
She nodded naughtily. “Great minds…”
Nick gazed into her eyes. “I love you, Evie Sutherland.”
His easy declaration soothed her battered heart, and yet a bolt of panic fizzed through her. Not about Nick—sliding back into Nick’s embrace was easy.
But love?
Selfless, all-encompassing, I’d-walk-barefoot-across-shards-of-glass-for-you love couldn’t be rushed after a single night in a sweaty sleeping bag. Present Nick seemed to be everything she had hoped for and more: caring, considerate to a fault, self-deprecating, extremely skilled in bed, but until they unspooled their messy past, a real future and true love (at least for Evie) would remain tightly wound beyond reach.
Her hesitance didn’t slip away undetected.
Nick caressed her raised brow. “It’s okay if you’re not ready to say it back.”
Evie smiled ruefully, hoping with everything in her heart she could speak those three beautiful words soon.
