Sweet Seduction by Nikki Winter Page A

at her, the way he interacted with Abby and Liam, the way he loved Lena, the way he adored and respected his parents, his loyalty to Archer’s friendship and every other aspect of this man was pure.
    Was she willing to give all of that up out of the fear that she’d lose herself in her feelings?
    Too restless to sleep, Paige kissed his forehead and managed to slip out of his arms. She found a pair of jeans and a sweater to put on along with boots and her parka. Maybe a walk would clear her head.
    Paige made her way around the cabin and into the backyard, staring out at the mountain tops and frozen lake in the distance as her head started to process exactly how much had happened between her and Felix during their vacation.
    She almost felt like calling Lena and thanking her for being Satan incarnate because it had finally made her realize something. Out of all the years Felix had been chasing her, he’d never tried to control or change her. There were never any lies or manipulations used. He never held back on his feelings and even after ten years he’d remained celibate just to prove how much he wanted to be with her so exactly what was she running from?
    Paige slapped a hand against her forehead. “Stupid, you can be so damn stupid.”
    Felix had been the one to help her study for her exams when she went through veterinary school, always pushing her to do better right along with Lena. When she’d graduated he’d been the one screaming the loudest because her parents—who didn’t approve of her choice of a career goal, since her father hadn’t picked it—hadn’t been there and he’d seen how much it hurt her. The day she got her first job as a vet tech he’d brought her lunch from Grayson’s and made sure she was eating right. And when she’d started scouting locations for her own office, he’d helped until they found one.
    Felix had never tried to control her. All he’d ever done was support her and she’d spent so much time afraid that she’d lose herself that she was close to losing him. Even when she pushed him away he just got closer, never once giving up on her.
    “I can be such a dumbass sometimes, Jesus.” So lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her until they got closer.
    Paige spun around but one booted foot slipped and she lost her balance. She was going down before she knew it. She put her hands out, waiting for an impact that never came.
    That’s when she heard his chuckle, felt it rumble through his chest as his strong arms held her just a few seconds from breaking something important.
    “You can open your eyes, sweetheart. I got you.”
    She did, very slowly and felt herself being righted until her feet were firmly back on the ground.
    “What’re you doing out here? You almost ruined your pretty face.” One big hand came up to cup her cheek and wipe a snowflake away. That’s when an acute sense of déjà vu hit her hard in the gut.
    Grabbing that hand, she stared Felix straight in the eyes when she whispered, “I love you.”
    He blinked and blinked again. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that? I think I zoned out for a second and heard the wrong thing.”
    She grabbed the front of his leather bomber and pulled him in close. “I. Love. You. And I know we had this stupid agreement and I’ve been really slow and running for no reason but I just realized exactly how much you mean to me and I don’t think I can give that up for—”
    Paige’s words were cut off when Felix leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, slipping his tongue inside and kissing her until she was breathless.
    He pulled back and stared down at her with so much love that any chance of drawing in a normal breath was out the window. Felix didn’t speak for a long time then he said, “When I woke up and you were gone I thought you’d ran.”
    She shook her head so hard that her hood came off. “No, I didn’t. I can’t. I’m tired of running. I kept believing