Daring to Love: A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 3) by Jessica Gray Page B

declaration.  “Graham was old enough to know what he was doing.”
    Evan felt ashamed of himself. How much did my betting and reckless behavior shock her? He could see so many similarities between himself and Graham. Adventurous. Always looking for the next challenge. Sometimes irresponsible.
    Thoughts of last year when he raced down the frozen waterfall entered his mind. That had been bordering insane, he’d known it and had still done it. It had given him that ultimate thrill, the feeling of being invincible.
    Heidi was right, he needed to impress. But she was also wrong. He didn’t need to impress anyone else. He need to impress himself. To feel worthy.
    His reckless behavior had to stop. I’ll stop for Charlene. Just how do I do that? He shook his head to banish those thoughts. His first priority now was to get Charlene safely back to town. Just how would he achieve that?

Chapter 10
     
    Charlene tried to make sense of Evan’s silence. He had just witnessed her having a panic attack. Was he searching for an excuse to get rid of her? He had enough on his hands to deal with a neurotic woman that couldn’t keep her act together.
    But then, her worries faded away when he kissed her. His lips brushed hers in a tender and loving way. Her pulse sped up at the jolt of attraction that she felt toward him. When he broke the kiss he said, "I'm sorry I took you down here. I never wanted to cause you pain."
    She snuggled up against him and whispered, "It wasn't your fault. You didn’t know."
    "Are you okay?"
    "Yes.." she paused, "I'm afraid. How do we get back to the village?"
    The concern in his face made her fall in love with him just a little more. „You tell me.“
    After telling him her story, she felt much better. She’d kept her feelings locked up for such a long time, it was a relieve to share her dark secret with someone. Of course, she had been forced to talk to the police and the rescue team, but she had never told anyone that it was her own fault her friend was dead. That she had done nothing to try and save him.
    I should have done something. Anything. I failed at saving my friend. I’m the worst person ever, because that’s what friends are for, right?
    She knew, she needed to tackle Devil’s Nose one day. Not today. She just couldn’t do it today. But one day, she would confront her demons and she found herself wishing she could do that with Evan by her side. She felt so safe in his arm. Like nothing else mattered. As if it was just the two of them in the universe.
    The easy way out would be to stay in his arms forever. But of course she couldn't, they had to go back to the village.  And because of her stupid fear, she had to go down the long cat track and it would take hours until she finally reached home.
    „I’m afraid I have to take the long way around. But you don’t have to go with me. I’m fine. You just ski down this run, ok?“
    Evan reacted upset, „No way, I’m not going to leave you alone. I got you into this, I’ll get you out of it.“
    Her lips curved into a smile. Wasn’t he sweet? She hadn’t wanted to force him to stay with her, but she was infinitely thankful that he wanted to come with her.
    His finger traced her smiling lips and he added, „By the way, I enjoy being with you. Especially when you make that damn cute smile.“
    Then they began the long trek down to the neighboring village. Once there, they shouldered their skis and walked back towards Eagle Mountain Village, their skis becoming heavier with each step. But soon they spied the bus and were able to finally sit and rest for the remainder of the trip.
    When they reached the village, she turned to him, “Do you want to come home with me?”
    He looked at her and shook his head, “Charlene, I'd love nothing more than to go with you, but not like this. I want you to get to know me first. To know that I'm serious. I want you to have no doubt when we sleep together, that it isn’t just a one-time deal and then