caren

“Brendan cleared his throat hard. “What does ‘follow’ mean?”
“Don’t,” Deke rushed to say. “Don’t press it.”
His thumb was already on the way back up. “Too late.”
All three of his crew members surged to their feet. “No. Brendan, don’t tell me you just tapped the blue button,” Sanders groaned, hands on his mop of red hair. “She’s going to see you followed her. She’s going to know you internet stalked her.”
“Can’t I just unfollow now?” Brendan started to tap again.
Fox lunged forward. “No! No, that’s even worse. If she already noticed you followed her, she’s just going to think you’re playing games.”
“Jesus. I’m deleting the whole thing,” Brendan said, throwing the offending device onto the dashboard.”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer

“Glad you like it."
"No. I love it."
He grunted. "You ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"For me to ask you to dinner yet."
Her pulse tripped all over itself. Got up. Tripped again. "Did you think you needed to build a pergola to convince me?"
"No. I, uh..." He tossed down the rag, shoved his hands into his pockets. "I needed something to keep me busy while I worked up the nerve to ask.”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer

“Eh.” She waved a hand. “There are thousands of me there.”
Brendan snorted at her joke. And then he realized she was serious.
“Piper, there is nobody like you.”
She smiled like she was humoring him...
He pulled the car onto the side of the road, slammed on the brakes, and threw it into park. “Did you hear me?” He reached over to tilt up her chin. “There is nobody like you.”
“Why are you getting so worked up?”
“Because I . . .thought I was an intuitive man. A smart man. But I keep finding out new ways I’m flying blind when it comes to something so important. You. You are important.”
― Tessa Bailey, It Happened One Summer

“Hannah, I can't answer what I don't know," he said through stiff lips. "What do you want me to say? Do I want to fuck you? Yes. Oh my god, I" -- his eyes closed briefly, those fisherman's hands flexing on the steering wheel-- "I want you underneath me so bad that I can't lie in bed without already feeling you there. I've never even had you, and your body haunts mine.”
― Tessa Bailey, Hook, Line, and Sinker