Page 99 of All At Once

Breathless, she rolled a shoulder. “Whatever you like.”

His head jerked up, brown eyes holding hers, a speculative light in the dark depths, leaving her uncertain what he heard in her voice. The moment hung, their gazes clinging in an extraordinary ordinary interaction.

A slow smile curved his thin lips, slashing his dimples, lighting his face. “I vote for slow and suspenseful.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Of course you do.”

His chuckle, low and carefree, flowed over her, warming her. “You just said whatever I like.”

Waving a hand in dismissal, she shrugged again. “Choose.”

“Bossy,” he muttered, scrolling again.

“You like when I’m assertive.” The words, so close to when I’m in charge, fell from her lips in an unthinking flow, and his shoulders stilled. Her lashes fell. Oh, the door she’d opened . . .

With a slower, more intimate smile, he raised his head, dark eyes soft and hot. “I love when you're assertive.”

She definitely wasn’t ready to go there, even if Clarissa insisted that simply going there more often would help. Not yet. Tilting her chin, she pointed at his phone. “Are you choosing or not?”

Instead of slow and suspenseful, she found herself ensconced with a bowl of popcorn on the sofa, his arm slung along the back, in front of a sweeping disaster-adventure film with fantastic effects and excellent acting. Drawn into the story, she relaxed into his side, palm resting on his thigh.

The two leads cowered deep in a forest. An eerie silence fell, so only their breathing was audible.

“Know what that means?” Tick gestured toward the screen with a small handful of popcorn. “You’re in the woods with something bigger or meaner than you.”

“Really.” She darted a look at him beneath her lashes, amused by that downhome, rural knowledge of his. He was a steady, boneless warmth from her shoulder to knee, soap and starch and Chanel wrapped around her. “Learn that from Gene?”

“Actually, yes.” He tossed the popcorn in his mouth. “On the river behind the house.”

A frown dipped her brows together. “What’s in the woods that’s bigger and meaner than you?”

He looked at her, askance. “Uh, there are wild hogs on that river. Not to mention bobcats. Why do you think I won’t let the girls go to the dock alone?”

She stared at him. They’d owned the second home for a decade, and now he wanted to tell her about the wild animal risk? “I thought it was about the river.”

“That, too.” He shook his head, rubbing his fingertips along her upper arm. “I caught Eva dipping the sole of her shoe off the dock.”

“Excuse me?” That explained his sudden need to install a railing last summer after years of not having one.

“I know, right? She took ten years off my life.” His mouth pressed to a grim line, and he shifted his gaze back to the screen time. “Only time I’ve threatened her with my belt. She knew I meant it, too.”

“Oh.” She covered her face, sickening fear gripping her throat. The Flint ran fast and deep, and how easily their little girl could be lost made her want to vomit. “Oh, Tick.”

“Hey, it’s good. We had a really long, serious discussion, and believe me, if she’s at the dock, I’m there now.” He squeezed her into him. “But I know how you feel. Still can’t believe Gene let us run wild down there alone.”

She made a small noise of agreement, and quiet wrapped about them once more, the protagonists barely escaping the hidden menace in the forest.

“She’s a risk-taker without any real sense of fear.” His fingertip circled on her biceps. “I don’t know what to do with that sometimes.”

A soft snort escaped her. “You? And I have no idea where that trait comes from.”

“Reminds me of Will. And Ruthie.” She caught the edge of his smile. “You, under the right circumstances.”

“Yes, because I’m so fearless.” What reality did he live in?

“I said under the right circumstances.” He landed a gentle pinch on her thigh. She covered his fingers, flicking a glance at him from beneath her lashes. “I’ve seen you be pretty fearless in some tough meetings. With your grandfather. Giving birth. Definitely that first night with me, when we conceived Eleanor.”

“That was youthful recklessness.” A smile played about her lips. She’d been so naive, and he had been such an intriguing temptation. “Coupled with intense attraction.”