Page 40 of His Surrender

I watch him go. The moment he’s out of sight, I let out the breath I was apparently holding.

What is going on with him?

A few minutes later, he returns with Liana tucked against his shoulder, her tiny hand wrapped around the collar of his T-shirt.

He smiles down at her. The smile comes so easily.

Then his gaze lifts straight to me. This time, he doesn’t look away immediately. His eyes linger for a heartbeat.

My stomach does that ridiculous little flip.

Silence again. I can’t take it anymore.

“Dean?”

“Hmm?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

His head snaps up. “What?”

“You’ve barely looked at me all morning.”

His expression shifts from confusion to realization.

“No.” He rubs the back of his neck. “No, you didn’t do anything.”

“It kind of feels like I did.”

A quiet laugh escapes him, though there’s very little humor in it.

“Trust me”—he shakes his head— “this one’s on me.”

I study him for a long moment. “Are we talking about yesterday?”

His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. “Yeah.”

The admission hangs between us.

“I was worried I’d made you uncomfortable.”

His eyes finally meet mine. “You didn’t.”

“Then why are you acting like you can’t look at me?”

He lets out a slow breath before glancing down at Liana, buying himself a second to think.

“I guess …” A crooked smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. “I’m a little uncomfortable with myself.”

The honesty catches me completely off guard.

“I shouldn’t have stared.”

My cheeks warm instantly. “I can imagine it would be hard not to.”

For a moment, neither of us says anything, and then I surprise myself by smiling.

“It was raining.”