you might be scared of me, but you enjoyed the kiss," he whispered.
She stood, working her lower lip between her teeth. "You have no idea what I want."
"Ten seconds ago it was to have my tongue in your mouth."
She inhaled swiftly and held her breath. Her lips paled from pressure.
"Sit down," he said.
"Not a good idea." She walked to the other side of the room. "I should leave."
"You can if you want. I'm not holding you here." He waited for her to reply or make the move to leave, and when she continued to look at him, he continued. "I think a better idea would be for you to come back over here and talk with me."
She crossed her arms. "I told you the other night I'm not interested in knowing you better or doing...anything with you."
He leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "You kissed me back and then for some reason stopped. A woman not interested wouldn't put her tongue in my mouth."
"Listen to you. You're..." She held her arms out to her sides and looked around the room. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Maybe." He shrugged. "Come back over here and sit down beside me if that kiss was no big deal."
She skirted the coffee table and sat down, facing him. He leaned back. He couldn't figure her out. A grown woman confident in the way she moved, talked, and conducted herself. A grown woman running from physical contact. A grown woman with misplaced fear in her eyes whenever he touched her.
"Answer something for me." He put his feet up on the coffee table. "You come from a park, right?"
She tilted her head and frowned. "Yes."
"Did you grow up with Shayla and Nick?"
"My whole life. First in the lot next to theirs and when I was eight, in the same house after my mom left me," said Nova.
His chest tightened. He'd heard the same story many times, repeated by other women and men who had lived in the trailer park. Single mothers showed up to rent a lot space or moved into an existing trailer and ended up leaving their child behind with a relative for reasons that continued to escape him.
"I thought so." He lifted her hand off her thigh and strummed his thumb against the tender skin of her wrist. "The first night you showed up, the dogs started barking, and I shot the gun off to quiet them down. You never flinched."
Her brow softened. "Yeah, well, that's deeply engrained in my life. I've shot a gun off a time or two myself to get the dogs to shut up."
"Every park has them." He stroked her finger, taking in the smoothness and how dainty her hand looked compared to his. "But, you got out."
She laughed harshly, hiding her face from him.
"What?"
"Nothing." She exhaled, staring down at their hands linked together. "I've had years to think about why people stay living in a trailer, in a park, and put up with all the drama and struggles of living side by side other people their whole life. Each one of them wants to leave, and yet they never make steps to improve their life."
Emmett put his feet on the floor and let go of her hand.
"Shit," she mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'm not putting you down. I understand circumstances don't always—"
"You have your view of things. That's your right." Emmett paused. There were times when he thought of leaving. When the people kept him up all night for a week straight or when shit happened. A divorce, death, birth in the community upset the flow of life.
"Still, I was rude." Nova gathered his hand and brought it back to her lap. "It's not the life for me, but I admire my cousins. I think they're doing great, and they're happy. That's all that matters. Living in a trailer park is nothing to be ashamed of. It's honest living."
"Right." Emmett leaned forward. "You're here."
"To visit."
He dipped his head to get a better look at her eyes. "How much time do you have left of your vacation?"
"Work vacation." She grinned, and her teasing nature came out. "A little over two months, why?"
"When you go home to wherever you live do you have a man waiting for you?" He raised
She stood, working her lower lip between her teeth. "You have no idea what I want."
"Ten seconds ago it was to have my tongue in your mouth."
She inhaled swiftly and held her breath. Her lips paled from pressure.
"Sit down," he said.
"Not a good idea." She walked to the other side of the room. "I should leave."
"You can if you want. I'm not holding you here." He waited for her to reply or make the move to leave, and when she continued to look at him, he continued. "I think a better idea would be for you to come back over here and talk with me."
She crossed her arms. "I told you the other night I'm not interested in knowing you better or doing...anything with you."
He leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "You kissed me back and then for some reason stopped. A woman not interested wouldn't put her tongue in my mouth."
"Listen to you. You're..." She held her arms out to her sides and looked around the room. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Maybe." He shrugged. "Come back over here and sit down beside me if that kiss was no big deal."
She skirted the coffee table and sat down, facing him. He leaned back. He couldn't figure her out. A grown woman confident in the way she moved, talked, and conducted herself. A grown woman running from physical contact. A grown woman with misplaced fear in her eyes whenever he touched her.
"Answer something for me." He put his feet up on the coffee table. "You come from a park, right?"
She tilted her head and frowned. "Yes."
"Did you grow up with Shayla and Nick?"
"My whole life. First in the lot next to theirs and when I was eight, in the same house after my mom left me," said Nova.
His chest tightened. He'd heard the same story many times, repeated by other women and men who had lived in the trailer park. Single mothers showed up to rent a lot space or moved into an existing trailer and ended up leaving their child behind with a relative for reasons that continued to escape him.
"I thought so." He lifted her hand off her thigh and strummed his thumb against the tender skin of her wrist. "The first night you showed up, the dogs started barking, and I shot the gun off to quiet them down. You never flinched."
Her brow softened. "Yeah, well, that's deeply engrained in my life. I've shot a gun off a time or two myself to get the dogs to shut up."
"Every park has them." He stroked her finger, taking in the smoothness and how dainty her hand looked compared to his. "But, you got out."
She laughed harshly, hiding her face from him.
"What?"
"Nothing." She exhaled, staring down at their hands linked together. "I've had years to think about why people stay living in a trailer, in a park, and put up with all the drama and struggles of living side by side other people their whole life. Each one of them wants to leave, and yet they never make steps to improve their life."
Emmett put his feet on the floor and let go of her hand.
"Shit," she mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'm not putting you down. I understand circumstances don't always—"
"You have your view of things. That's your right." Emmett paused. There were times when he thought of leaving. When the people kept him up all night for a week straight or when shit happened. A divorce, death, birth in the community upset the flow of life.
"Still, I was rude." Nova gathered his hand and brought it back to her lap. "It's not the life for me, but I admire my cousins. I think they're doing great, and they're happy. That's all that matters. Living in a trailer park is nothing to be ashamed of. It's honest living."
"Right." Emmett leaned forward. "You're here."
"To visit."
He dipped his head to get a better look at her eyes. "How much time do you have left of your vacation?"
"Work vacation." She grinned, and her teasing nature came out. "A little over two months, why?"
"When you go home to wherever you live do you have a man waiting for you?" He raised
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