“Pretty much, yeah. Ask Aria. My overprotective streak isn’t new. But I respect you enough to stay on the right side of it.”
“I think I can handle that.”
He leaned down and kissed me then, causing a delicious shudder to heat my body. I liked that he was worried about me. I liked that he cared. But there was a fine line between protective and overprotective, so I was glad he recognized that difference and would make an effort there.
I pulled back, catching his gaze. “Think of this trip like skydiving. It scared the crap out of me to watch you drop out of the sky and hope you landed safely. But I still stood there, ready to greet you when you made it back.”
“Skydiving is totally safe.”
“In the right conditions, true. But so is this trip. Because the right conditions are being met, and I’m confident I can do it. So you need to believe in me as much as I believe in you.”
He cupped the side of my face and rubbed his thumb against my cheekbone. “I do believe in you. I just got scared, that’s all. I can’t lose you.”
His words were so thick with emotion that they almost made me tear up. Nodding, I kissed him again. “Well, I know a thing or two about fear. I know how it can keep you from taking risks. So let’s agree that we’ll be a team in this, okay?”
“Okay. When do you leave?”
“Monday.”
“Well, grab your stuff. Let’s hit that Italian place tonight since you wanted to check it out.”
I grinned, then took a deep inhale of the fragrant bouquet in my hands. “Deal.”