One month later …

“No fair,” Ana yelped as she lost her footing … again. She’d lost count of how many times she’d lost her balance in the last hour and a half. Too many to count on one hand, maybe even both hands. It was slippery, dammit. Very slippery. She put her arms out, trying hard to regain her balance. Why the hell did she bother? Ana was about to fall so darned hard. It seemed like the ice was rushing up to meet her, but in slow motion.

Strong arms banded around her, just as she was about to hit, they whipped her upright. Once she caught her breath, she looked up. Winston was grinning broadly. He was loving every minute of this. The bastard! She had to smile back. He had caught her after all.

She couldn’t help noticing that his arms were like steel around her, only much warmer than any metal could be. “Got you.” He raised his brows, a wicked glint in his eyes.

“You lied to me. You are a terrible … horrible person.” Her smile grew wider.

“What did I lie about?” There was a huskiness to his voice. She noticed he hadn’t tried to let her go.

“You lied about never having skated before. You’re like a pro or something.” She was gripping his biceps for all she was worth, both hands full. Oh so very full of hard muscle. Ana could scent his woodsy, masculine smell. Her eyes dropped to his lips. She remembered how good they had felt against hers. So soft. The guy could kiss. It wasn’t just that she had been kiss-starved or that her ‘kiss-odar’ was functioning at lower than normal levels. The guy could really kiss. She didn’t have to be a frequent flyer of the Kissing Club to know that.

True to his word, he hadn’t tried to kiss her after that toe-curling first kiss though, not so much as a peck on the cheek since. Even though she had told him that her therapist had okayed it. She found herself wishing she’d been more assertive when he had asked her if more kissing was what she had wanted as well. She had played that moment through her mind several times.

Yeah, I guess.

That’s what she’d said when he asked how she felt about them kissing for real. There was nothing confident and assertive about the answer she had given. If he tried to kiss her, she was jumping right in. It was a big ‘if’ though. They had to try it again. Just to prove that they could do it without her having an attack. That was the only reason … and maybe because she missed it. She was kiss-starved. That much was true. Winston had been right, it was just a stupid kiss. She’d totally over reacted when she’d told him it couldn’t happen again.

“I most definitely did not lie. This is my first time on the ice.” He shrugged his big shoulders. “I can’t help it that I’m good at most things.” He winked at her.

Ana stopped herself from rolling her eyes but only because she could just imagine all the things that Winston would be good at. Lifting heavy things … and … running … maybe even handling a vehicle or … lots of things … so, so many things. Not hot and steamy things though. No. She hadn’t been having sexual thoughts, just then. Not at all.

He carefully released her. She was reluctant to let him go. Her jeans were already soaked through from all the falling. She was sure to have a good couple of bruises come morning. Ana pulled in a deep breath and slowly let him go. First one arm and then the other. “You’ve got this,” Winston said. “You can’t try to walk though. Ice doesn’t allow that. You’ll just land on that sexy ass.”

Sexy.

Ass.

Her.

Winston had noticed her ass. Had liked it. No, you fool! It was just a saying. He was just being nice. Shit! He was talking … best she pay attention. Ana nodded her head.

“…and that’s why you have to slide your feet from side to side like this.” He demonstrated, making it look easy.

“Let’s go ice-skating,” she mimicked Winston. “It’ll be fun. I should have known you would choose something like this for your turn at picking what we do.”

“It is fun.”

“It is for you. I’m wetter than wet.” She pointed at her jeans. “I’m pretty sure my ass is black and blue.

His brow creased. “You are really wet.” His eyes seemed to darken. He skated backwards a few feet.

Wet.

There was that word again. Why did it make her feel dirty and naughty? Her mind should not tumble straight into the gutter every time he said it. Mind on the task at hand. Ana battled to keep from falling even when she wasn’t moving. Going forwards was almost impossible and here he was skating backwards. Backwards! “Show off!” she mumbled.

“Come to me.” He gestured for her to move towards him using two fingers of one hand. His eyes were on her. “Like I showed you … slow and easy.”

Ana licked her lips. “Okay—” One tiny step and she was falling again. This sucked. She yelped, bracing for impact.

Winston caught her before she could land. He moved so quickly that she barely registered his movement. She was breathing hard, Ana clenched his shirt with one hand and gripped his … Oh god! She was holding his ass. His really hard, oh so fine ass. “Sorry,” her voice was shrill.

Winston chuckled.

“I’m so very sorry.” Her eyes were wide, her feet splayed too far apart. She was hunched over, her face level with his belly … abs … Winston did not have a belly. He had abs, a washboard, like the old-fashioned metal ones. Hard and ribbed. His ass was meaty and so firm it was obscene. “I wish I could let go but I’m scared I’ll fall. In fact, don’t move or we’ve both had it.”

He chuckled again. “I think you may have fallen, just then, on purpose.”

“What?” Her voice was shrill.

“You wanted to grab my ass … get your hands all over me, so,” he grinned, “you faked a fall. You may as well just admit it.”

She swallowed thickly. “That’s not true! I would never—”

“You do realize,” his voice was deep, “this means that I’m allowed to get my hands on you right back.”

“You can’t be—” She squealed when he gripped her hips and pulled her upright. Her hand left his butt and moved upwards to his back. Shit! Even his back was muscular. How did a person get themselves a muscular back? Wow! She looked up. Winston was grinning. His dimples were all over the place. So darned sexy. The asshole. He was mocking her. Her hand still felt warm from where it had been just moments ago. Oh god!

“I’m so sorry,” Ana blurted. Her cheeks were so hot that she was surprised the ice beneath them wasn’t melting.

He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe I should get myself a little off-balance.” He wobbled, his skates slipping out from underneath him. Ana gave a yell as he scrambled to get himself … the both of them … back under control. At this rate, they were about to become a tangled heap on the cold, very wet ice.

A hand gripped her ass and she sucked in a breath, even made a little whimpering noise. His grip was firm. His hand hot through her wet jeans. Big and hot.

“There!” That grin of his was back. “Much better.” The grin morphed into a smirk.

A laugh was pulled from her. “You’re too damned much. I didn’t grab your ass on purpose.”

Winston seemed to think on it for a few seconds. “I don’t know … I think you did. It felt like you did. Even if it was a … ‘mistake’ …” He said it like he didn’t believe it. “I know you liked it.”

Ana gasped. “Take that back. We’re friends, I would never—”

“Friends don’t date friends.” He winked at her. They had agreed that when they were together they wouldn’t talk about the whole fake dating thing, or about being just friends. Doctor Brenner had agreed that role-playing worked best when both parties committed themselves. When the pretense was as real as possible.

Then she remembered what he had said earlier. The nerve!

Ana gave a small nod of acknowledgement about the friend thing. After that, it was game on. “I didn’t grab your ass on purpose. It was to keep from falling, but,” she licked her lips, “since you totally grabbed mine on purpose—”

“You’d better believe it.” He winked.

Ana shook her head, trying not to laugh. “I feel the need to make things even.” Using a resolve she didn’t even know she possessed, Ana gripped his ass. One butt cheek in each hand.

Winston’s jaw tightened and for a second she thought that he might be angry. Maybe she had taken things a little too far. Then his mouth twitched like he was fighting a laugh. “Two hands? You’re using two. That’s not really fair now is it?”

His hand on her hip relaxed.

“I figure that two of my hands equal one of yours,” she threw back at him.

He nodded. “I guess you might be right.” Winston looked at her mouth and she realized how close they were. Her chest was flush against his.

His eyes moved back to hers. “I’m going to kiss you now, Ana.”

“I’m struggling to breathe.” It felt like the air had thinned. “My heart is racing as well.” Shit! Was she about to have an attack … right now?

“Yeah, and your cheeks are flushed.” His eyes glinted.

“I know, what if—?”

“It’s perfectly normal though.” Winston leaned forward, slanting his mouth across hers. Soft, warm … so good. He pulled away. “My heart is racing as well.” Come to think of it, his breathing was also a little labored.

The hand on her ass tightened its hold, squeezing her flesh. She felt his touch right between her legs, in the form of a zing of lust. Ana moaned. To her horror, the sound was laced with need. Oh shit! Oh no! She sounded like a desperate hussy.

“Oh …” She felt her eyes widen. She let go of his butt. What the hell had she been thinking? “That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean it to sound like that, I …”

“It’s perfectly normal.”

“It is?” What was Winston talking about?

“You’re a female and I’m a male.” He shrugged like it was no biggie. “I’m attracted to you and you’re attracted to me.”

“Yeah, no, I …”

Winston rolled his eyes, somehow managing to make that look sexy. He nodded. “Yes, you are. It doesn’t mean we’re going to act on it ‒ I mean really act on it. We’re having fun and enjoying each other’s company.”

She nodded. “It’s not a big deal if we’re attracted to one another? It doesn’t mean anything?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“It’s not even weird that I’m going to go back to my room later and …” He bit down on his bottom lip. Then he huffed out a breath. “Never mind.”

“What?” she asked. There was something about the look in his eyes, the way he bit down on his lip that had her blood rushing through her veins. “What are you going to do when you go back to your room?” Although she could guess, like a sadistic maniac, she needed to hear him say it.

“You don’t want to know.” His eyes seemed to darken. He pushed his lips together and breathed out of his nose.

“Oh, but I do.” She sounded all breathless. She shouldn’t be pushing this but she wanted to know. Had to know.

He leaned in close, his mouth right next to her ear. “I’m going to make myself come so damned hard just thinking about that moan.”

She tried to hold back the gasp and failed. Even that sounded desperate and horny.

“I have needs,” Winston went on. “Just because I’m not having sex doesn’t mean I’m not getting off … getting myself off.”

“I’ve become an expert in that.” Oh flip! What the hell was wrong with her? She hadn’t just said that! Ana squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe he had shared with her, but that didn’t automatically mean that she needed to share with him as well.

“Four years is a long time.”

“Very long. Infinitely long. So long that I’ve become somewhat of an expert in making myself come,” she expanded on her earlier statement, her eyes were still shut. She cracked them open. What was wrong with her? What possessed her to say that as well? There was sharing and then there was oversharing.

Winston’s nostrils were flared. He was breathing deeply. “You need to tell me … I really need to know, do you use one of those human vibrating devices or,” his voice was low and deep, “do you use your hand?”

Flip! She was breathing deeply as well. “My hand,” she whispered. She’d said so much already, may as well go the whole damned hog.

He groaned. “I knew it.”

“We shouldn’t be talking about this. It … it doesn’t seem right.” She was still holding his ass with both her hands. He was still squeezing her left butt cheek in his.

“You’re probably right.” He sounded disappointed. “Although, masturbation is a perfectly normal thing. You know that, don’t you?”

Ana made a sound of acknowledgment as she slid her hands onto his hips. There, that was better.

Winston let go of her ass as well. Then he released her completely. She made herself do the same and she nearly fell, scrambling to stay upright. He chuckled, grabbing hold of her again … this time, he held her arms. “I’m going to let go of you and you’re going to skate to me again.”

“I think that maybe I’m done.”

“I’m going to teach you how to skate, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Why?” she wailed, “it’s not like it’s a skill I’m ever going to need.”

“You never know.” He let go of her and she managed to somehow keep her balance.

Winston skated backwards. He gave a ‘come hither’ hand gesture. This time, Ana skated two whole steps before losing her balance.

Just as before, Winston was there in an instant, only this time, she was too far gone. Her boobs even brushed the ice. Winston growled as he hoisted her, his skates going out from under him as well. Not only was she going to fall but he was going to fall on top of her. She was about to be really cold and really squashed. Like a frozen pancake.

Instead of landing on the ice, face down, she experienced a moment of suspension, her stomach gave a lurch as it felt like it was being pulled from her body. Ana landed on something warm. Unyielding, although not nearly as hard as the ice.

Her face was right next to his, their breath mingled. She was chest-to-chest and cheek-to-cheek with Winston. She was straddling his big body. Her body reacted. Ana reminded herself Winston was a guy and that she was a woman. It was perfectly normal.

“Your heart is racing.” Winston’s chest rumbled against hers as he spoke.

“Yup,” a whisper.

“Your breathing is faster,” another deep rumble.

“Yes.”

He clasped her upper arms and pulled her away slightly, making them almost nose-to-nose. “Just as I thought.” A sexy half-smile appeared on his lips. His beautiful lips. “Your cheeks are flushed.”

“They are?”

He nodded. “Are you having a panic attack?”

She gave the smallest shake of the head, unable to take her eyes off of his. “I don’t think so.”

“Good.” He crushed his mouth to hers. His hands moved over onto her back, pulling her closer to him. The kiss was not as hard and fast as the first one had been. It was softer, more languid and in many ways even hotter. It felt intimate somehow, his tongue mimicking the act of lovemaking. She whimpered, her eyes closed, her toes curled as much as ice-skates would allow. He groaned into her mouth, his chest vibrating against her. Her nipples hardened. A perfectly normal and natural reaction.

Winston cupped her cheeks and broke the kiss. He pecked her lips before smiling at her. She grinned back. Doctor Brenner was right. Kissing was fantastic. She loved it, wanted more of the same.

* * *

Whose stupid idea was this dumb movie in the first place?

Ana squirmed in her seat. The scent of her arousal hit him, causing his already hard dick to harden up a whole lot more. His cock throbbed behind his zipper.

“Maybe we should watch something else?” His voice was so guttural that he cleared his throat, trying hard to dislodge the lust that threatened to choke him.

“We’re both adults.” Ana’s gaze was locked on the screen. Her chest rose and fell in quick succession.

They’d picked up a comedy. A fucking romantic comedy. Was this kind of sex scene normal for a comedy? The female onscreen bounced on the guy’s dick. She threw her head back and wailed, breasts bouncing hard. When is it ever going to end? On and on she bounced, wailing louder and louder. Thing was, Winston was aroused by Ana’s arousal, not by what was on the screen. All he could think of was sucking on her clit and making her come using both his mouth and his dick. What hot-blooded male wouldn’t have these kinds of thoughts? A decent one. A good male wouldn’t be picturing Ana bouncing on the end of his own dick like Winston was doing right now. Her long hair loose and flowing, her face drawn in ecstasy.

“Thing is …” Shit, his voice was still ridiculously deep. “We’re both in a dry spell at the moment and … fuck …” It was his turn to squirm. His dick physically hurt. He reached for a pillow. They’d kicked some of the extra scatter cushions on the floor. Winston placed the pillow firmly on his lap and turned back to Ana. Her eyes were wide and on the pillow. Shit! She’d seen his bulging cock. The denim ready to rip. “Sorry.”

She swallowed deeply. “No, that’s alright. So you like them busty, I guess?” Her voice was soft.

They both turned back to the screen as the female screeched, her eyes scrunched shut.

“Finally,” Winston huffed. “That male is shit in bed. Absolutely clueless. Oh look …” He waved a hand in the general direction of the television and made a noise of disgust.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re cuddling,” he said in a shocked tone.

“What’s wrong with cuddling? I mean, I know shifters aren’t looking for love or anything but cuddling is normal after sex.” She was frowning heavily.

He had to laugh. “That’s not what I mean. He gave her one measly orgasm ‒ or should I say, she took one orgasm because that douche gave her jack shit.”

“One measly orgasm as opposed to …?”

Was she for real? Then again, she hadn’t been with anyone in years. “As opposed to a string of orgasms. One is never enough. He also just laid there and made her do all the work. Just folded his hands behind his neck and that was it. The jerk doesn’t deserve to have a dick or to call himself a male.”

“What should he have done then?”

Now she was taking the piss. He looked over at her. Ana looked completely serious. “Palmed her tits. Rubbed on her clit … stuck his thumb up her ass … fucked her back … something. As soon as she was done, he should have taken over and made her come again, only this time, much harder. Look,” he waved at the screen, “she’s still talking. She shouldn’t be capable of speech.”

Ana burst out laughing. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide. She looked shell-shocked, excited and embarrassed all at once. “You’re joking about the whole ass thing right? And about not being able to talk?”

“No, I’m deadly serious. You have no idea how much harder you come if—” He pressed down on the pillow. “Would you mind passing the popcorn?” Now he wanted to show her. Explain with his hands, his dick and his mouth exactly how sex should be. It would explain why females lined up on Shifter Night and why he had sworn off females in the first place. There was no way he could do it though. Ana was his friend and he had made a promise to wait.

Ana handed him the bowl. “I guess you’re pretty experienced since you’ve had so many different partners.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I picked the older females in the early days. Females who knew what they wanted and weren’t afraid to demand it and to give plenty of feedback. I learned the ropes quickly.”

“I’m sure you did, Mr I’m-good-at-most-things.”

She was picking up on his tension and trying to take it easy on him. “I’m not proud of all the females I’ve slept with. I don’t care if I have to wait years for my name to come up … no more.” They both sat in silence for a few moments. “What about you? I’m sure you had males lined up wanting to take you out. Hell, I’m sure they still try their asses off.”

She shook her head. “Nah! I’ve only ever been with two guys. The first one was a big mistake and the second one …” She let the sentence die.

“Was special?” he finished for her. Fuck! She’d only ever been with two males. Two.

“He was very special.”

“Was it John?”

Winston watched her shut down. Shit! He should never have asked her that. He knew the answer.

She finally nodded once. “Yes, it was John, but I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m enjoying myself. I’m finally making some progress and,” she shrugged, “I guess I want it to continue.”

Winston nodded. He reached over and squeezed her hand. Both of them refocused on the movie. Winston picked up another handful of popcorn. He dropped it back into the bowl. “Let’s order some Chinese.” The couple onscreen were about to go at it again. This time in the shower. Winston clicked the pause button. “We’ll watch that psychological thriller, if you don’t mind?” Thank fuck they’d rented two movies.

“I don’t mind. I just can’t believe you want more food?” Ana raised her brows. “We just ate not long ago.”

He nodded. “I have a high metabolism. You should know that by now.”

She laughed. “You’re right, but you still manage to surprise me more often than not. I suppose I could do with a couple of egg rolls.” Ana was still smiling.

Winston got up. “Great!” He walked towards the kitchen, she kept the take-out menus in the top drawer. “Oh, and Ana ….?” He turned back.

“Yeah?” She had her legs tucked underneath her on the sofa. Her hair was loose about her shoulders. Fucking beautiful.

“It’s the whole package ‒ eyes, hair, body, personality ‒ all of it. It’s everything about a female. Not just her ass or her … chest. So, just because that female had big breasts, does not mean I was attracted to her.”

“Oh, okay. I just thought that because you were … you know … that you were turned on by Jennifer Wilson.”

“Who the hell is Jennifer Wilson?” He frowned, taking a step back into the room towards her.

“The actress in that movie, the one with the big …” She held her hands out over her chest. “Men love her.”

“I couldn’t give two shits about Jennifer Wilson. My hard-on had nothing to do with what was happening onscreen.” He was saying too much. “Don’t take this the wrong way but you’re beautiful, Ana, and you give off the most amazing scent when you’re turned on. My body sometimes forgets that we’re friends. Don’t worry though because I haven’t. I respect you.”

Her eyes turned a bit glassy and she blinked a couple of times. “That’s so incredibly sweet. Thank you! I appreciate you spending time with me. I’m really enjoying myself. I’ve almost stopped worrying about having a panic attack. You’re a really good guy.” She looked down at the floor. “I guess I really miss sex, that’s all. So, if I make stupid noises while we’re kissing or I give off that scent you’re talking about, it’s not personal or anything.”

Ouch! His ego took a bruising but at the same time, it was exactly what he needed to hear. “I know. It’s fine.”

“And I respect you too.”

Double fucking ouch! Winston nodded. Oh well, he had said it first and he had meant it. “Let me fetch that menu.”

She smiled. “Do you think I’ll get over this … whatever is holding me back?”

Yes, he did. Big time yes. He should probably take her straight to the Dark Horse right now, but he couldn’t. He was a selfish fuck because he wasn’t done spending time with her yet. One or two more weekends and then he’d have to do the right thing by her even if it killed him.

“You’re looking at me funny. I take it you think I’m a lost cause? That I’ll be fifty and married to my dildo?”

“You have no fucking idea how wrong you are on both counts. I think you’re going to be just fine. A few more dates with me,” he winked at her, “and you’ll be ready.”

“You really think so?” She smiled. “I don’t feel as nervous at the prospect of meeting new people.”

“See!” He raised his brows. “I really do think you’ll be ready.” He felt himself frown. “I thought you said you didn’t use a dildo though.” Fuck! His voice was husky again.

“Just because I use my hand doesn’t mean I don’t own a dildo.”

Winston nodded. He leaned against the doorjamb. “Have you thought about what you plan to do when you do start dating again? Are you going to try the internet again or …?”

Ana shook her head. “No way. That was awful. I was thinking I should have sex first. Just get that out of the way like we did with our first kiss …” Her eyes widened. “Not that I meant that we should … you know …”

“Fuck.” Her eyes widened as he said it.

“Yes, that.” Her voice was husky as well.

“Say it.” He smiled.

“Why?” She folded her arms.

“How are you going to do it if you can’t even say it?”

She pushed out a breath. “I suppose you’re right.” Ana didn’t say it though, she just sat there.

“You’ve only had sex with two people, you’re not one for fucking around, which is a good thing. You should forget about having casual sex. I promise you, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Fuck.” She widened her eyes and grinned. “There, I said it. Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she giggled, looking happy with herself.

His dick loved hearing her say it. His cock was perverted as hell, it started to harden.

“I can’t start dating again ‒ properly I mean ‒ until I’ve had sex. I’ll consider myself mostly cured after spending the night with someone.” She lifted her eyes in thought. Like she was considering confiding in him. Then, her beautiful blue orbs locked with his. “I’m more fearful of starting a relationship than what I am of having sex. I know that sounds stupid, but it’s true. Sex would be the next logical step.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” He wasn’t sure why he was pushing this. The agreement was that they would fake date until she was able to meet people herself. This was all about desensitizing Ana and about them having fun. “You do know that if you find the right guy he’ll be patient and kind. He won’t mind if you have a panic attack. He’ll hold your hand through the whole thing. He’ll be the one to call the emergency services. He certainly won’t mind a bit of puke on his shoe.”

Ana’s shoulders tensed, her jaw tightened. Her eyes took on a look of fear. Then she shook her head. “I’m not looking for a relationship. I thought I was, but I’m not ready. A guy like you described would only scare me off even more.” She shook her head again. “This has got to be done in steps and the next logical step is sex. Since you’re not available,” she giggled, but it came out sounding nervous, “I need to find someone else ‒ when the time comes, that is.”

Fuck! He wanted to volunteer so badly. He grabbed the top of the doorjamb and squeezed. The wood creaked so he let go. “Okay, let me know when you’re ready and I’ll introduce you to a couple of the guys.” His voice took on a hard edge.

She nodded. “Although, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel ready. You might have to give me a push in the right direction.”

“That’s not for me to decide.” He shook his head. There was no way he was handing her over to someone, or talking her into it. He wasn’t her goddamn pimp. Fuck! “I still think it’s a bad idea.”

“Please, promise me, when you think I’m ready, even if I’m not sure myself, that you’ll tell me. That you’ll help me. It’s what I need.” Her eyes were wide and pleading.

“Okay.” Winston looked into Ana’s eyes. She was so damned sweet that it floored him. There was no way he could say no. Not all of the shifters were understanding males. None of them was good enough for her, but hell, he’d find the best possible male for the job, so help him.

“So, you’ll introduce me and be there in case anything goes wrong?”

“No way, some of the males are into threesomes, but—”

“No, I don’t mean that!” She looked at him like he had grown a tail or something. “I know you’re saving yourself for when you hit the top of the list. I would never expect …” She sighed.

“Okay, okay!” He put up his hands. “Sorry, it’s just that for a second there you sounded like you wanted me to be there, as in, in the room.” The thought made him break out in a sweat. There was no way he could watch her with another male. Not a fucking chance.

“No, silly!” She looked like she wanted to say something and thought better of it. “Just that you’ll be there at the bar with me. With us, at least until I’m comfortable.”

“What are friends for?”

She smiled. It was radiant. “Thank you.”

“You should probably start using that dildo,” he blurted.

Her mouth fell open. “What? Why?”

“Preparation. Shifters are big … everywhere and you haven’t had sex in a long time.”

She swallowed hard. “Yeah. Okay … yeah.” That scent of her arousal was back.

Winston tried to breathe through his mouth. Fuck, he could taste Ana. He turned, hoping she didn’t catch a glimpse of his hardening dick. At this rate he’d have a permanent zipper indentation if he wasn’t careful.

Yup, one or two more weekends and he’d give her that push she needed. He couldn’t hold her back just because he loved spending time with her. It would be wrong.