Page 40 of All For You

Ididn’twant to leap onto that rope swing and put her at risk.

It wasn’tgoing to be fuckingfun.

Still, I white-knuckled the rope while she stepped onto her side of the stick.

“Five, four, three, two, one,” she sang out.

I leaped on, then wobbled back and forth as the rope swung away from the land. I clutched the rope even tighter but realized I was leaning too far in her direction. I lurched back with a cry, but the rope was at the top of its swing. I had to jump off now. Otherwise, I was going to crash into the riverbank on the way back.

“Bombs away!” Lizzy shouted, grabbing my hand.

I yelled, knowing I couldn’t wait a second more to let go or I’d pull her back. I leaped out into the abyss with her.

My smile was instant. Giddy, even. And when we plunged into the freezing water, I felt free in a way I wasn’t used to. Euphoric.

We breached the surface, still miraculously holding hands. A moment of embarrassment struck, at how cowardly I’d behaved, making a fool of myself.

I glanced at her to find her already looking at me, mouth open in awe, her eyes glittering with glee, not judgment. The air felt bright and high, the leaves on the trees flipped with movement, the water sparkled around us.

Maybe opening up your heart to this person is easier than it appears.

CHAPTER 20

Lizzy

We walked back to Amor Inn. Emma and Knightley jogged ahead, but Darcy and I strolled at the same pace. We were sodden and dripping but in high spirits, bumping elbows and knees and hips, pretending we weren’t walking so close together. Pretending we hadn’t noticed how much of our bodies were touching. I tried not to sneak glances at his broad back, his veined forearms, his muscled thighs pressing out his shorts.

“I feel like a kid again.” He grinned and tugged playfully at my hair.

“It’s fun, isn’t it?”

“You make everything fun.”

“Oh.” Was he kidding? Except for the hay baling and a few other small moments, he’d been critical and rude. No wonder I was wary of him.

A faint, earnest crease drew across his brow. “You do, you know. You’re a breath of fresh air, joining in with the dancing that first night, taking the time to find out everyone’s story, getting stuck into the farmwork one hundred percent, always ready to get outside. Playing with Oodles, you’re completely unselfconscious, not worrying about your clothes or how youseem. You enjoy the moment and participate in life’s fun.” He slapped a hand over his face. “Oh God.Participate in life’s fun. That sounds like a directive I’ve prepared for my company’s board.”

I laughed, but now I was starting to believe he wasgenuine.

“You don’t have much fun?” I asked, worried I was about to break the spell by reminding him of all his responsibilities. I expected him to lash out, be annoyed at my question. Maybe say, of course he had loads of refined fun in London at restaurants and bars and the theater or wherever. That this was kid stuff—country bumpkin stuff.

He rubbed his temples. “I don’t know. I never realized I didn’t. But my face feels kind of sore from laughing and smiling, like it’s a new expression for me, so I guess not.”

His answer felt real. As if maybe he was speaking with me more honestly than he spoke with friends. Friends who didn’t make him smile until his face ached. Mine heated at the knowledge.

“You might have to do something about that,” I said with a gentle bump against his shoulder.

He gave me a sly side grin and bumped me back with his hip. “Yes, I was thinking I need to spend more time with you, to get used to stretching my face into a smile and breaking out into laughter.”

Was he joking? I checked his face again.

Amusement slipped from his features, and now he was looking at me with a fresh intensity, his usual composure cracked. His blue eyes darkened with longing, then went almost black with molten hunger. I startled, then despite the wet and cold, my body tingled warm under his attention. I’d never before seen a man looking at me like that, never before felt that aroused under a man’s steady stare.

My cheeks blushed hot. I should have been shivering, a blanket of goose bumps, but instead, I burned.

“Is that what you want?” I asked, attempting light flirtation as we walked. “To spend more time with me?” Or was I reading his intensity wrong?

He rubbed his thumb back and forth along his bottom lip and stared at my mouth. As frustrating as he was at times, I suddenly craved his thumb running alongmybottom lip.