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corner of my mouth pulled up and I shook my head, “What I think doesn’t matter. You want to know what she thinks.” The movement made my hair fall over my shoulders. I pushed it out of my face, tucking a few stray curls behind my ear.
    “ How am I supposed to find out? Every time I get a second alone with her, someone interrupts us. And it’s not the kind of question you can just ask.”
    I glanced over at him, “You asked me.”
    There’s a lightness to his voice, “And you didn’t answer.” He smiled at me and looked down at his hands.
    For some reason I was hyperaware of my heart. I felt it beating inside of my chest. I shouldn’t have told him, but my tongue was moving before my brain realized it, “Yeah, I want the right guy. I’m not interested in screwing around with a bunch of randoms. I want it to mean something. I want the connection, the relationship.” Something inside my chest swirled as I said it and my throat tightened. I couldn’t help but notice his eyes and how closely he watched me. His gaze was so intense that I looked away.
    Trystan nodded slowly and then says, “You want him to love you.”
    I wondered if I should respond, but I was up to my neck in the conversation already, “Is that so wrong? I mean, wouldn’t you want that too?”
    “ If it were real, yeah. But there’s no such thing as love. Love’s a concoction of the Hallmark Channel.” My mouth fell open as he said it, but he didn’t stop. “At least I thought there was no such thing. Now I’m not so sure.” His voice trailed off, like he was thinking, considering if it could be true—if that was what was making him so crazy.
    My shock changed from offended to surprised, “Oh my God,” I breathed. “She’s really gotten to you. The great Trystan Scott is in love.”
    He didn’t answer. The way he looked at me made me know I was right. Instead of teasing him, which would have been normal, I sat there in silent awe. “Are you going to tell her?”
    He shook his head and leaned back, “No, I don’t think so.”
    I lean toward him and pressed my hand to his knee. “You have to tell her. Damn, Trystan. If she’s gotten to you like this, you should at least give it a shot.” When his gaze lingered on my hand too long, I pulled it away. I wasn’t a touchy feely person, so it was kind of strange for me to reach out and do anything.
    “ If she realizes it, I won’t deny it, but I can’t tell her.” He looked at the ceiling as he spoke, his voice uncharacteristically soft. When he looked at me again, he sat up, breathed deeply and said, “Come on. Run lines with me. Help me forget about her for a while.”
     
     
    CHAPTER 4
     
    ~TRYSTAN~
     
    “ Are you going to tell her?” Mari asked. Her big brown eyes remained fixed on his face, waiting for an answer that he couldn’t give.
    It doesn’t matter if I tell her, she won’t believe me. You see Mari, it’s you. You’re the one I can’t stop thinking about. You’re the one who makes my heart race and my mood soar. You’re the reason that I can’t sleep, can’t eat. The pain inside my chest, that ache that longs for your touch, devours me.
    Trystan thought these things. They raced through his mind like a swirl of wind. The words were stuck to his tongue. He couldn’t tell her. It had to be something she saw for herself or she’d never believe him.
    Shaking his head, Trystan leaned back against the couch, “No, I don’t think so.”
    Mari twisted toward him, her slender hand extended forward. When she placed it on his knee, Trystan nearly crawled out of his skin. As she spoke, he stared at her hand, mesmerized by how much power she held over him. The simple act of patting his knee was too much. Being in the same room as Mari was too much, and here they were alone. Again.
    I did this, he thought to himself. I’m the one who sent Seth away. His gaze was still fixated on Mari’s hand. She lifted it slowly, like she’d made a mistake. When he looked up