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on her waist, but his movements stopped when her eyes dropped closed. The soothing strokes didn’t continue until she finally reopened her eyes and dragged her attention up his chest and past his Adam’s apple. She continued up until she locked her gaze with his. When she offered him a hesitant smile, he began stroking her again with a warm smile on his lips.
    Staring down at her, he let go of her hand and skimmed the back of his over her cheek. She felt her heart thundering, her pulse racing when she ran her hands up his chest, feeling each and every rippled muscle. She’d never purposely touched a man like this before. Sure, she’d felt Brody’s muscles when she’d smacked him for one reason or another. Or when trying to push him off of her after he’d wrestled her to the ground being an ornery brother and all. But this? This was foreign.
    Her eyes were back on her own fingers, taking everything in. She stopped at his heart and could feel it pounding hard beneath the soft cotton t-shirt.
    “Just so you know…” he started in his slow, sexy voice.
    She could tell he was waiting for eye contact again before continuing. “Yeah?” she whispered.
    “I’m going to fall in love with you.”
    What? The world stopped and her eyes went wide for a brief second before they narrowed. Her head tilted, her face questioning him. “But you hardly know me.” Her words came out on a barely caught breath. “We just met a few hours ago.”
    She was just beginning to work out in her head the fact she was touching him and that her instinct to run away was non-existent, trying to decide if she should allow him to kiss her, and he was talking about falling in —love ?
    She knew she was out of her element. But this was like trying to win a SuperCross Championship race when you’ve never even had your ass in the seat before.
    Up to this point in her life, her heart had always been well guarded, only letting in a few special people. And that circle of people had kept her shielded, vowing to never let her be hurt again. But there was something about Carter that was she was drawn to, something different. A connection she’d never felt before with anyone.
    Her pulse quickened again and she swallowed, unable to look away from his overpowering gaze. It was commanding, yet she felt cherished at the same time.
    “I know you well enough to know you feel it too.” He inclined his head, increasing his hold on her waist. “I know you feel it, this thing between us. This is it, Gorgeous.”
    He pulled her to him and held her. She closed her eyes and listened to his pounding heart. Finally, she attempted a deep breath. “I’ve been hurt a lot in my life, Carter, but I’ve never had a broken heart. I won’t be able to take that.”
    He squeezed her tightly, then let go to cup her face in both of his hands. “I promise you, with all my heart, I’ll never hurt you.” He leaned down and softly kissed her lips. “I promise.”
    She reached up and placed her fingertips to her lips, still feeling the jolt from the feather soft kiss. The light touch had been just a hint of what was sure to come, something that sent her stomach to the ground in both fear and anticipation.
    Somewhere deep in her own heart, she could feel his truth, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified. She looked up at him, biting at her lip, and finally nodded.
    “Come on,” he said as he stepped away with a smile, reaching for her hand as he began to walk. He brought it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles, his demeanor shifting from heavy to light, as if he understood she needed time to process it all.
    Carefree, he swung her hand, teased, “You’re quiet now. I have a feeling that once you get to know people, that doesn’t happen often.”
    “Hey.”
    “I’m joking.” He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. His smile was so untroubled, his touch so warm. It wasn’t difficult for her to melt into his side.
    She glanced up at him. “I’m just trying