Ty’s warmth enveloped her completely, his strong arms supporting and enclosing her. She felt like she could just relax, for the first time in...she had no idea how long, and he would hold her up, no problem.
“Wow,” she sighed. “I could stay like this forever.”
“Me too,” he murmured into her hair.
She frowned to herself, thinking about that. In the safety of his arms, she felt like she had hours to ponder, and like she could say anything she thought, and it would all be fine.
“I suppose I don’t see what it’s like from your side,” she said finally, a little muffled by his chest. “This feels so—safe. I’m not used to feeling safe like this. But you’re on the outside. What do you feel?”
“I feel like I have the most precious thing in the world in my arms,” he said. She could feel the throb of his voice through his body, almost more than she could hear it with her ears. “Like everything I could possibly want is exactly where it should be. And what could be safer than that?”
She smiled a little, warmed by the thought. And by the feeling of his body pressed up against hers. His arms weren’t the only muscular thing—his chest was basically a wall of muscle, and she was suddenly more and more aware of the heat of his skin underneath his shirt, the movement of his breathing. The masculine scent of him.
Misty pulled back, looking up into Ty’s dark eyes. “There’s one thing I keep meaning to ask you, and forgetting,” she said.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling. “And what’s that?”
“Is this a date?”
The smile broadened. “What, you haven’t figured that out yet?”
“The clues are there,” Misty admitted. “But I thought it would be best to lay it out in so many words. Just so that there wasn’t any chance for misunderstanding.”
“I would never want you to misunderstand,” he said, more serious now. “Yes. This is a date. This is, in fact, the best date I’ve been on in—”
“Yes?” she asked, as he frowned, clearly trying to remember.
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been on a date,” he admitted.
“Same,” she murmured.
“But I’d say this one is solidly at the top.”
Still amused, it took her a second to really assimilate what he meant. Then she leaned back even more. “Your ideal date involves running off a couple of teenaged delinquents setting of firecrackers in the woods?”
“You’re really attractive when you’re doing your job,” he murmured. “All confident and authoritative. I like it.”
She laughed. “You were the one who got them to listen.”
“Teamwork,” he amended without missing a beat. “Even sexier.”
She blushed a little at hearing herself described as sexy, even obliquely, and hoped the room was too dim for it to show.
“Misty,” Ty said, “I have never connected to a woman the way I have with you. Ever. It’s strange and it’s scary and I’ve been purposefully not thinking too deeply about what it might mean long-term, because I have a whole set life back in Los Angeles, and it’s hard to imagine it getting overturned. But it’s real. What’s happening right now is real.”
Now her heart was thundering in her chest. “You might—you’re thinking about changing your whole life? For me?”
“Am I wrong to be thinking that?” he asked. She could hear the notes of worry in his voice, and paradoxically, that steadied her. If he was just as uncertain and anxious about this whole thing as she was...
“You’re not wrong.” She bit her lip. “If you told me right now that you’d made a decision to stay here forever, I’d be so happy. But Ty, I can’t just ask you—maybe I should think about giving up—”
“No.” This time, there was no hesitation at all. “What I’ve seen since I got here—the community everyone’s slowly starting to build—the way you’re following in your father’s footsteps, continuing his legacy—no. I would never, ever ask you to give that up. You have my word.”
Misty let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Anyway,” he said, clearly trying to lighten the mood, “maybe this is all a bit premature. We haven’t even kissed yet.”
She blinked. “We haven’t.”