From the warm safety of Dane’s side, I watched the sky begin to lighten. The more the deep midnight blue turned to the slate of impending dawn, the heavier my heart grew. I didn’t want the night to end, and yet it was. Our now was over, and who knew when we might get more time together.

I fought back tears. They felt irrational. My mother’s voice in my head told me not to be so upset about just a boy. According to her, there were plenty to choose from, all with bright futures and sterling pedigrees.

But I didn’t want any of them.

I wanted this one.

And so I was upset to think that it could be days or even weeks before I could be with him again. The mere idea of that caused my chest to ache.

I felt Dane’s lips brush my temple. “Where’s your head at?” His voice was a whisper carried on the weaving stalks of wheat.

“I have to go. It’ll be dawn soon.”

“I wish you could stay.”

“I wish I could, too. I wish we could stay here, on this rock, in this night, forever.”

“We’ll have more. In fact…” Dane eases his arm out from under me enough that he can sit up and stare down at me. I memorize his beautiful face, the warm eyes, the perfect mouth, the way his hair falls down around his jaw. “Can you come to the river today?”

“Don’t you have to work?”

“Yeah, but everyone gets a break.”

A break. A few minutes in the middle of the day, hidden away where no one could see us. It seemed terribly unfair that we’d have to settle for a few paltry scraps, but I would. I would settle for any moments, no matter how brief, that I could get with Dane James.

Only in the day, it would be harder for me.

I squeezed my eyes shut when I thought of the consequences of getting caught. “I…I can’t. If Alton were to catch me…”

Dane wasn’t bothered. “Tonight then. When everyone is asleep, turn off your light. When I see it go out, I’ll head this way.”

He was absently stroking the skin just under my chin with the pad of his thumb, looking down at me like I was the sun and the moon and all the stars in his sky. There was no worry or concern in his eyes. He didn’t know what could happen if we got caught, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. He wouldn’t understand.

Well, actually, he would. He knew the way people in this town felt about him. I just didn’t want to be a constant reminder of it. And I didn’t want to be the reason his eyes stopped flashing so carelessly. I didn’t want to be the one to add concern and burden to them. Dane didn’t have an easy life. I wanted to give him what little peace I could, and if that meant shielding him from Alton’s threats, that’s what I would do. I would bear the fear of them alone.

“Hey, you still with me?” Dane prompted me when I didn’t respond, one side of his mouth tilting up into a grin.

“Yeah, I’m still with you.”

I’ll always be with you. I’ll always love you. And one day, I’ll never have to leave you.

“So tonight?”

I nodded. I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t stay away from him any longer than that. At that moment, I didn’t even know how I was going to get through the day without seeing him, much less an entire twenty-four hours.

“Come on then. Let’s get you dressed. The sooner the day comes, the sooner the night will come.”

I let Dane help me up and, together, in the increasing brightness, we put our clothes back on. I watched him pull his jeans on over his thick thighs. I watched him button and zip them over his flat stomach. I watched his abs flex and shift under his skin as he raised his arms and tugged his shirt over his head. And I watched him rake his fingers through his long strands when he was finished.

When I realized he’d caught me staring so unabashedly at him, I blushed and looked away, but not before I saw his lips split into a breathtaking smile. I pulled on my own clothes as quickly as I could, and when I was bending to reach for my shoes, I noticed he was still standing there smiling at me.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m just imagining how this is gonna look in instant replay.”

“How what will look?”

He stepped over to me and slid his arms around my waist, sending chills rolling down my arms. “You. Putting clothes on this perfect body. The wheat and the sky as your backdrop. The look on your face.”

“What look?”

Dane raised his hand to brush my cheek. “The look I spent the whole night putting there.”

My cheeks stung again, but this time from something other than embarrassment. This time they stung with pleasure. Pleasure at his words, as well as the remembered pleasure he was referring to.

“I’ll never forget it. Not as long as I live,” he said, softly brushing his lips over mine.

“Neither will I.” And I wouldn’t. I knew I wouldn’t. Whatever happened next, whatever the future held, I would always consider this night with Dane the most perfect night of my life.

Dane kissed me in earnest then, his lips teasing mine open, our tongues tangling in a wet twist that made me want him all over again. He pulled back so suddenly, I gasped.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jesus. We have to get you home or you won’t make it home at all.”

“Why? What happened?”

“You,” he answered simply. “You happened.”

At the edge of our rock, he jumped down and held his arms up toward me. I fell into them, much like I fell in love with him—effortlessly. And he caught me, held me so tenderly with his incredible strength, and I knew in that moment that he meant what he said. He would never hurt me. Not on purpose. I just prayed I’d be able to say the same thing.

He held me for a few seconds, and we stared silently into each other’s eyes. We said all the things we didn’t have time to say, all the things we hoped we’d one day get to say, and when he set me on my feet, he took my hand and wordlessly led me back through the field.

When we neared the place where we’d be in full view of the house if anyone bothered to look outside, I pulled him to a stop.

“I’ll go on from here. Go get some sleep.”

“Are you nuts? I’m walking you home.”

He started walking again.

I stopped him again.

“No, seriously. You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”

Dane took my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “After what just happened on that rock, there’s no way I’m not walking you home. Not gonna happen.”

I could see the stubbornness in his eyes, that very rebelliousness I loved showing up to challenge me.

I was torn. I adored his sense of propriety. I could guarantee that not one of the boys Momma picked out for me would feel this way after having sex. In fact, most of them would probably just stick me in a cab and send me on my way. But not Dane James. He had more class than all of them put together.

But he didn’t understand how dangerous this could be for him. How dangerous I could be for him. Alton had given me one simple rule. Stay away from Dane James or else.

He might as well have just asked me to stop breathing.

I waffled for a few more seconds before giving in. I didn’t think anything I could say would change his mind anyway. “Just to the driveway, okay?”

With a satisfied smile, Dane kissed our joined fingers and started across the field again, keeping me close at his side. At the edge of the driveway, I stepped ahead and turned back toward him. He was still smiling, and it was still steeling myself.

I loved him.

I loved him more than I had a right to love anything.

“Thank you,” I began, biting my lip to keep my chin from trembling. Suddenly, I was devastated.

“For what?”

“For everything. This night was perfect.”

Dane’s smile turned gentle as he cupped my face. “And it was just the beginning.”

I nodded, trying to hold it together.

“Try not to worry. The people in this town don’t matter. One day I’ll make you see that.”

I nodded again, hoping he was right. He kissed my forehead before starting to back away.

“See ya later, alligator.” His voice was quiet in the stillness, but I could hear him perfectly.

I didn’t know why my heart was breaking, but it was. Still, I managed a smile for Dane James as I returned with, “After while, crocodile.”

That was our beginning.

And this felt like our end.