Page 96 of Love In Hiding

Just held her steady with his stare as if he was going to wait her out all day.

That should work her up, but it went right back to his presence calming her.

“Because you’re the one playing the lawyer word games, not me.” She moved to the couch and flopped. “My mother knows about us.”

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “I figured she would have asked before this morning. I’m assuming it happened this morning?”

“I got off the phone with her about twenty minutes ago. I told her no one else knows and not to tell anyone else in the family. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Nope. We are good keeping this quiet. Though I should tell you that Coy knows.”

“Since when?”

“I talked to him last week.”

“And you’re just telling me now?” she asked, sitting up straighter.

“You look ready to do battle. Sorry. You’ve got your sister to talk to. Coy is like my brother. It’s not like he’s going to tell anyone. Though he might have told Angel. Or not. She would have texted me and hasn’t.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because Coy isn’t the type to say anything unless I tell him we actually are seeing each other.”

“What did you tell him?”

“That I was struggling with your prickly personality, but for some reason I was going back for more. That I was trying to see how long I’d bleed with your pokes.”

She laughed. “Because you can’t help yourself.”

“Doesn’t seem it. Care to tell me what has you so worked up?”

She patted the couch. He moved over and sat. “What do we have?”

“You want to put a label on it? I didn’t expect that of you.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t want to. I’m positive you’re exclusive.”

“Goes without saying,” he said. “I won’t insult you and ask you that.”

Guess she pushed the wrong button there. “My mother called you my boyfriend?”

“Are we twelve?”

She pointed her finger at him. “There. Right there. I thought the same thing. Thank God.”

“I think we are more alike than either wants to admit.” He scooted closer to her, dropped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close.

“Admitting things makes it... scarier.”

“Yes,” he said, his lips going to the top of her head, his voice low as if he was whispering in her hair. As if she wasn’t supposed to hear, but she did. “And that’s why we are alike.”

27

POWERFUL FEELING

“Do you have a minute to meet this morning?” Noelle asked him the following Monday.

Spencer looked up from his computer. “Let me check.”