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Her expression softened as she continued, "Because you think if somebody gets close enough, you might let them down?"

Well.

Shit.

She'd just cracked me open like a damn walnut.

"Maybe," I admitted.

She took a deep breath. "You know what I think?"

"That I'm devastatingly handsome?"

Her lips curled in a smile. "I think you make it really easy for people to love being around you."

I found myself holding my breath as I waited for the but, there was definitely a but.

"But...”

There it was.

“You make it almost impossible for them to know you."

I felt exposed, and I wasn’t a fan of it.

She smiled sadly. "Which is kind of ironic, considering I do the exact same thing."

Needing to lighten the mood, I reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "Look at us. Two emotionally stunted overachievers."

"I'm an overachiever. You're just emotionally stunted."

"Rude." I pretended to be offended.

She laughed. And then she kissed me. Not because her ex was watching. Not because we had an agreement.

Just because she wanted to.

The kiss was slow. Soft. And so damn sweet it made my chest ache.

When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against mine.

"We're breaking the rules," she whispered.

"Pretty sure we broke those last night."

She laughed softly, then turned somber. "Damon?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not looking at me differently."

I tipped her chin up.

"Beautiful, the only thing that's changed is that I think you're even more incredible than I did an hour ago."