Chapter 16
16
Aria
T his was really happening.
Aria ducked her head so she didn’t have to meet his eyes. She knew if she did, that the last bit of her defenses would completely crumble. There was no other way around that. Daniel had opened up to her; he’d shown her a side of him that spoke to her on a completely different level.
Daniel’s eyes searched hers, but for what she couldn’t be certain. A smile tugged at his lips. It was soft and sent her nerves into overdrive.
It was at this moment that Aria knew she didn’t have to hide behind her flirtations. Her smiles and extroverted behavior weren’t necessary. Daniel had seen right through those smiles anyway. Hadn’t he told her as much over and over?
He’d seen her heart before she knew what was happening. There was a part of her soul that welcomed it, wanted him to take everything he could from her.
Daniel’s hand shifted, tracing her cheek with his fingertips until he placed his palm against her cheek. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to find someone like you.”
She couldn’t breathe. Guys didn’t say stuff like that. Not to her, anyway.
The pads of his thumb brushed against her skin again, setting off crashing waves of chills through her body. It was all she could do not to shiver. Then he lowered his face closer to hers. Aria thought he planned on kissing her again, but he didn’t. His forehead pressed against hers and he took in his own shuddering breath. “As much as I want to pull you into my arms and hold you there for the rest of the day, I think you should get something to eat.”
She bit back a smile. “You’re the one who has a job around here.”
His grin warmed her. There was something about being the girl who could make this giant of a man smile. It was like she held a degree of power over him somehow—something she never had with Cayden. He’d taken everything, bled her dry, and left her cold and alone while not letting her escape him.
Daniel ushered her toward the couch, then retrieved the coffee and pastries before joining her. He held out the cup, his fingers grazing against hers in the process of her accepting his offering. If Sophia could see them now, she would most definitely have an opinion about what had occurred between them.
Aria took the bear claw from him and picked off a piece of it before tossing it in her mouth. The flavor burst on her tongue, and she closed her eyes as she leaned into the couch cushion. “This is amazing.” Before she opened her eyes, she could feel his focus drilling into her—much like he’d done several times before. She flushed, avoiding looking at him directly. “What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” It was far more difficult not to react to him when he used a low, rough voice like that one.
“Clearly. But you’re looking at me like you want to,” she said.
She risked a look at him, finding him smiling. It was far too soon for her to get attached to him in any way. She couldn’t allow herself to do that when she didn’t even know where she was going to be in the next couple years.
Could she move here permanently?
No. She couldn’t do that.
Couldn’t she, though? It wouldn’t be the worst thing. She adored her cousins and they’d been nothing but supportive—more than she could have ever asked.
“You’re right,” he said.
Her head snapped up and she stared at the man, retracing the words she’d said to him, attempting to figure out what he was referring to.
Daniel leaned forward and placed his half-eaten bear claw on the coffee table. He brushed the crumbs from his fingers, then tilted his head as he gave her his full attention. “I’m curious about something.”
She stiffened. The way he was starting this conversation made it sound like he wasn’t sure he wanted to ask whatever it was that plagued his mind. Aria swallowed hard, steeling herself for the worst. While Daniel had brought up his history, she hadn’t exactly told him everything about her own. It would make sense for him to delve into those memories.
“Do you like living here?”
Her mouth nearly dropped open. That wasn’t what she’d expected. “Sure. What’s not to like?”
He rubbed his palms against his jeans. Then he stared at her in a way that made it clear he wasn’t going to avoid her gaze for what he wanted to ask next. “Do you think you could settle down here? Is there anything here that might interest you enough to stay?”
Her first instinct was to brush off his question with a flippant answer and flirt with him. She could tease him for the nerves she heard in his voice. But she didn’t.
For the first time in a long while, all she wanted was to be honest and upfront with him. “I’ve been considering the possibility,” she hedged. “My job allows for a great deal of flexibility. It wouldn’t be hard to make the change official.” She hated how much her voice shook. It wasn’t because she was nervous—not really. Excitement laced her words. Or perhaps it was more anticipation for the reasons behind his question. Did he want her to stay? Was he actually thinking about their future?
Before she could ask him, he nodded. There was relief and joy hidden in those eyes of his. He might not have been strong enough to spell it out for her, but she felt confident in assuming that was his train of thought.
She tore off another piece of her pastry and dropped her eyes to the treat. “Honestly? It’s not hard to see myself building a life out here. Copper Creek is a special place.”
“I agree,” he murmured.
Her smile grew. “It didn’t start out that way, though.”
His brows furrowed and she let out a laugh, realizing what he likely assumed she was saying.
“Copper Creek has always been great. What I meant was that I had no intention of falling in love with this town. I’d only come here to escape. It was the only place I could think of that would give me what I needed.” Aria hated how her thoughts shifted immediately to Cayden and what he’d done to her psyche. She didn’t want to think about him when she was with Daniel. They were polar opposites. Daniel didn’t deserve for her thoughts to be on anything else but what was growing between them.
Daniel had grown quiet. She hadn’t realized it until she noticed the distinct chill in the air. She’d been quiet, too, but her thoughts had been raging in her skull, threatening to tear her to pieces.
When she found his gaze, that chill only worsened. The way he was looking at her was like before, but this time there was something in his eyes that had her worried. Her fears were realized when he whispered, “Is that because of your father? Your need to escape?” he clarified.
The food she’d been about to swallow lodged in her throat, getting stuck there in the most painful way. She swallowed at it several more times, distinctly aware of the weight his question held.
“Aria,” he said. “You can tell me.”
It wasn’t her father. Not really. Aria had only come out to stay for the summer because she couldn’t stay in the same city as her ex-boyfriend. While her father’s actions had been terrible, she was able to avoid him. But Cayden? Sometimes it felt like he was everywhere.
The problem was that she couldn’t lie to Daniel. She couldn’t find the words to tell him he was right and that her father was the sole reason. Lying to this man was near impossible. And yet she knew she couldn’t tell him the truth about Cayden. He’d get upset. That was the kind of man Daniel was. Then he might look at her with that pity she hated so much. She should have been stronger. She should have never allowed herself to stay in the relationship she’d had with the man who made her question everything she knew about herself.
Aria jumped up from the couch when Daniel’s hand touched her knee. With that one gesture, he’d yanked her from her thoughts. And now she’d overreacted. Great.
Forcing a smile, Aria folded her arms and faced him. “It’s not what you think. You have your stuff, and I have mine. I’d really rather not get into the nitty-gritty of it. I’ve told you more than I’ve told anyone.”
He didn’t look appeased at all. Slowly, he rose to his feet and moved toward her. It took every ounce of self-control she had not to inch away from him. Before he could ask her about what she was hiding, she blew out a hard breath.
“Can we not talk about it? These heavy subjects are just…”
Daniel chuckled. “I get it.” He reached for her, rubbing her arms up and down before he tugged her closer to him. His arms came around her waist and she rested her cheek against his shoulder. Just the warmth of his body was enough to ease the ache in her chest and the scrambling thoughts in her head.
She shoved aside the guilt from even thinking that he might push the issue. Daniel wasn’t like that. He didn’t wield his power and strength over her. Had he forced her to leave the club? Yes, but there had been a good reason. Had he been infuriatingly annoying when he wouldn’t let her walk to the main house with her luggage that first night?
Also, yes. But looking back, she could admit it was sweet.
Now, with the way he was holding her and comforting her without asking anything more from her, she knew everything was going to be okay.
The rest of the day felt brighter. She watched him work. Their eyes locked countless times, and each moment shared between them had her cheeks burning. When they were finally decompressing together after dinner, she leaned into him while they sat on the couch.
Daniel held a book in his hand—one of his architectural books. She scrolled through her phone, reveling in the way they could exist together without feeling the need for anything more than the other’s company.
An ad on her social media caught her attention and she stiffened. Daniel’s fingers that had been tracing the skin on her shoulder stopped. Expectation hung in the air. Aria could sense that he wanted her to take the first step in talking rather than the other way around.
She turned, craning her neck so she could get a good look at his face. Then she held up her phone. “This screams something that would be right up your alley. Have you ever seen something like this?”
His brows creased as he shifted his focus to the ad. Cornell was hosting a competition. A full-ride scholarship to someone who could shine above everyone else.
“Sounds like they want more students interested in architecture.”
Slowly, his eyes shifted to meet hers. “No thanks.”
She frowned, then she pouted. “But you’re so good.”
He scoffed. “While I appreciate the compliment, I think you might be biased. I have no experience.”
Aria twisted around so she could look at him fully. “You do, though. Just because you’re self-taught doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough to enter a competition. You should submit one of your drafts. It wouldn’t hurt, right? Think about if you won. You’d get a full ride. I’m sure you’ll?—”
Daniel pried the phone from her fingers with a smile, clicking the button on the side to turn it off. “And what then? Move out to New York?” Disgust filtered through his expression. “I’d rather not.”
“But—” she started, prepared to fight for something she knew would make him happy if he’d only take the chance, but he interrupted her when he pulled her closer and she met his simmering gaze.
“I’m happy where I’m at.” He brushed a kiss to the corner of her mouth and said, “I’m happy with you.”