Page 120 of Micah

“You hardly look at me unless you think I’m not gonna notice.”

I almost smile.

She noticed.

“I can’t tell if you regret kissing me or if you might be trying to pretend it never happened.”

“What?”

Her words hit harder than any punch I've ever taken.

“I thought maybe I'd imagined it.”

“You didn't imagine it.”

The answer comes out immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without thought.

“Princess, I remember every second of that kiss. If I close my eyes, I can still remember how your lips felt. How you tasted when your tongue slid against mine.”

She goes still.

“So can I.”

Silence settles between us.

Not awkward.

Heavy.

Waiting.

“I don't know how to do this,” I admit quietly.

“What?”

“This.”

I gesture helplessly between us.

“Talking.”

Her expression softens.

“I spend my life behind computer screens, Sloane.”

I huff out a humorless laugh.

“What do you mean?”

“Networks. Encryption. Security. The tech side of ranching. That’s all me.”

“You know more than that, Micah,” she replies..

“Well, I know how to stop people from breaking things.”