I shuddered.
“Did it work? Does anything scare you?”
“I don’t think the fear ever goes away completely—especially when you’re scaling a cliff with a ninety-foot drop beneath you.”
I shook my head.
“The first few years, I forced myself to do the big, extreme things. To honor Kelly. But as I’ve gotten older, now I just do the things I want to do. The things that I think I’ll legitimately enjoy but still push me out of my comfort zone. I try my best to pick my moments. If I’ve learned anything from Kelly it’s that life comes and goes too fast. People are so casual with their time, especially when you consider that it can all be gone in a second.”
I nodded along, thinking of all the Saturdays I spent curled up reading a book and my nights in a hot bubble bath.
As if he could sense what I was about to say, he continued, “And I’m not saying that going buck wild is the only way to live. I couldn’t sustain that type of life. Reading books and swinging on the porch is living, too. There’s definitely a balance to be had. I just think that getting out of our comfort zone every so often is when the magic starts to happen.”
“Like jumping in a pond with ice chunks floating next to you?”
“Exactly.” He turned and looked at me, his brown eyes scanning my face. “Do you have any regrets about jumping in?”
I bit my lip, thinking about that night. It had been scary. I wouldn’t have done it without Miles pushing me, and I was definitely not lining up to do it again anytime soon. But just thinking about it brought back the rush of the moment, and I couldn’t help but grin. “No, I don’t have regrets. But don’t let that go to your head. I’m not doing it ever again.”
He laughed and nudged my arm. “Skydiving next week?”
“Not on your life.”
We both chuckled softly as we sat there, each staring off into space until he spoke again.
“During therapy, I was encouraged to write down whatever I was feeling. That became a powerful outlet for me. Eventually, I began studying English at college, so taking a creative writing course seemed a natural step. The first couple of years, my writing was crap, but I kept at it and eventually got better.”
“And now you have three books out with the fourth coming out next year.”
He looked down at me, a curious gleam in his eyes. “You know, for somebody who claims not to care that much, you sure seem to know a lot about my books. I’d love to get my hands on that Kindle of yours. I feel like I’d learn a lot about you.”
I grinned cheekily up at him. “I’ve got that thing locked down tight.”
“I knew it.” He tickled my sides until I was laughing and trying to squirm away. When he relented, he didn’t release me. Instead, he maneuvered his body and mine so that he sat directly behind me, with me leaning back against him, his legs sprawled out at my sides. I turned slightly so my face could curl against his chest while his arms wrapped around me.
“You think I’m going to cuddle with you just because we’re trapped in a covered bridge?” I asked, while my frozen right hand unzipped his coat just enough that I could slip my arms through and slide them around his waist. Even through his flannel shirt, the heat from his body kissed my skin. A sigh of relief came unbidden past my lips.
“You think I’m going to let you steal my body heat so you don’t freeze?” he countered, pulling me even tighter against him. My body felt too twisted in its current position, so I turned even more to the side, letting my legs sprawl out over top of his right leg.
The wind whipped through the tunnel, and though we were just out of reach of the snow, everywhere around us looked to be freezing, except for our tropical oasis in the middle. I would have been perfectly content to stay just like that forever.
“So, you said you can’t sit still. Was it hard watching the movie last night?”
He breathed out a laugh, ruffling my hair slightly. “Nope. That wasn’t hard. I had a few other things to occupy my mind.”
Heat warmed my cheek pressed against his chest. His heartbeat was a steady drum against my ear. I kept my face pressed against him and tried to contain the smile that threatened to burst free.
“I learned something else from Kelly too,” Miles whispered in my ear.
For some reason, I stilled at his words. I was wrapped in the arms of Miles Taylor in the middle of a covered bridge in a storm. We were cozy and warm here, effectively blocking out the entire world. The air between us shifted to something palpable. I could almost hold it in my hands, though I was too scared to meet his eyes. Too scared at the emotion I might find there.
“What?” I whispered.
His voice was a soft rumble against my ear. “When I see something I want, I just need to go for it.”
The storm whirled on around us, but the air between fell into a hushed silence, his words swirling around us with the wind. I had started the day wanting him to keep his distance. His confession the day before had terrified me. And I think he knew that. I had every excuse in the book to be wary of him, but he had spent this past week slowly disarming every one of my defenses. Miles Taylor was a good man. I think I had always known it, but he had caught me at a bad time. With the passing of my dad and losing Mr. Grady’s steady presence at school at the same time, my world had been turned upside down in one fell swoop. Instead of letting me be and giving me a wide berth, like everyone else, Miles tested and pulled and nudged me into uncomfortable places. He noticed parts of me that I tried to hide away from the world. I had been so threatened by that. By him. I saw him as demeaning and arrogant, when now I could see he had been trying to help me stand up for myself. In his own way, he had been protective of me.
Before I could let myself overthink my actions, I lifted my head to meet his eyes. My hands slid up his chest, cupping his cheeks gently before I pressed my lips against his. He met my shy kiss with a softness, taking his time to linger and savor. His hands cradled my face, returning my kisses with a sweet tenderness that felt too delicious to be real. Slowly, the heat between our mouths began a dance that matched our pounding heartbeats. He wrapped his arms around me, tucking me close while he increased the pressure of our lips.
My hands found their way around his neck, diving into the feel of his hair. One of his hands cupped my cheek, caressing my skin softly while his mouth explored every inch of mine, wrapping me up in a romantic spell so enchanting he had me whispering his name in a breathy, embarrassing sort of way.
He pulled back to look at me, a sudden grin on his lips. “Yes?”
I stared at him, dazed and blinking, taking a moment while trying to form actual coherent thoughts.
“What are we doing?”
“We’re having our moment. And it’s about damn time.”
“It’s been literally five da—”
His mouth found mine again, breaking apart only for a moment when we were both smiling too wide for the kiss.