Page 28
Claire’s brows drew together. “And?”
The single word stung.
Delaney stared at her. “What do you mean, and? She looked like she was about to kiss you. I left. I couldn’t...”
The confusion on Claire’s face shifted into something closer to understanding. She rubbed a hand over her jaw. “She was angling to get back together. I told her I wasn’t interested.”
“Back together?”
The words tasted bitter. Delaney sat all the way up now, knees drawn to her chest. That’s what the favor was about? Because Claire was Rebecca’s ex? All of it clicked into place with sickening clarity.
Claire looked out across the dark pasture for a moment. When she spoke again her voice carried the weight of old decisions. “We were together back in LA,” Claire said, her eyes still fixed on the darkness. “Years ago. But it wasn’t just some fling. It was serious. Except she was married.”
The admission hung between them. Delaney’s pulse thudded in her ears. She knew Rebecca’s history. That she’d been married to a male director for years until coming out and getting a divorce.
“Is that why you left Hollywood?”
“Yeah.” Claire cleared her throat. “Delaney… I know we’ve avoided talking about what’s going to happen. You know what I can offer you here, but I’m not sure that it’s compatible with your life in LA. But I was planning on asking you anyway.”
“Asking me what?”
“If you wanted to be with me. After all this is over.”
The simplicity of it cracked something open inside Delaney’s chest. She stared at Claire in the dim glow, searching for any trace of hesitation. There was none. Just that steady blue gaze.
“Really?” The word came out small. All day she’d convinced herself this had been a fling for Claire. A convenience. A way to scratch an itch with the pretty actress staying upstairs. The thought that Claire might want more, might have been planning to ask, felt too to take in right now.
Claire’s mouth softened at the corners. “Because of what you saw in the barn... you thought this was it? That we didn’t mean something?”
Her throat closed tight. Delaney blinked hard, but a hot tear escaped anyway, sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away with shaking fingers. “Yeah. Basically. I already tried not to think about the future because of me, and my life in LA. But then seeing you with her... I thought maybe you didn’t want anything serious after all.”
Claire shifted closer. Her hand came up slow, giving Delaney time to pull away, and cupped the side of her face.
“That really couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“Fuck.” Delaney let out a short, helpless laugh. She leaned into Claire’s palm, eyes closing for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such an emotional day. First seeing you two, then those scenes we shot where June finally admits what she wants, and now me out here too restless to even lie in bed because I hate how much I care about you.”
Claire’s thumb brushed the dampness from her cheekbone. The gesture carried such tenderness that Delaney had to squeeze her eyes shut.
“Is that your way of saying yes?” Claire asked. “That you want to be with me?”
Delaney opened her eyes. Claire’s face filled her vision. The woman looked at her like she was worth waiting for. Like the mess of Hollywood and age and geography didn’t scare her half as much as losing this chance did.
“I’m not avoiding your question.” Delaney’s voice dropped. “It was just... unbelievable ten minutes ago. But yes. I have no reason to head straight back to LA. Not for a few weeks at least. So yes… I’d like to stay here. With you.”
Claire’s exhale carried relief and something deeper. She leaned in and kissed Delaney soft at first, almost careful, like she was afraid the moment might shatter.
Delaney met her halfway, fingers curling into the front of Claire’s shirt, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened. A heavy ache settled low in Delaney’s stomach as Claire’s tongue brushed hers.
When they broke apart, Claire met her eyes.
“I meant what I said about the future,” Claire told her, voice husky. “My life is here. The rescues. The land I still need to buy. But if you need time in LA, at any point, for whatever comes next with the film or your next project, we’ll figure it out. I would never ask you to give up anything for me.”
“I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation,” Delaney said, her mouth finally curving up.
“But we are.” Claire’s expression broke wide and unguarded, the one that always made Delaney lose her train of thought. She lowered her head and kissed along the line of Delaney’s jaw, down to the sensitive spot beneath her ear that always made her shiver. Delaney arched into the touch, fingers tightening in Claire’s shirt.
The night air cooled her heated skin wherever clothes had ridden up, but Claire’s body chased away the chill. Their legs tangled. For the first time since she’d stepped onto this ranch, Delaney let herself imagine mornings that didn’t end with a plane ticket back to cameras and expectations and a life of chaos.
