it?”
“No, but would you prefer if I did?’
He frowned. “No, I don’t think I’d like that.”
In one steady movement, he rose to his feet again and covered the small distance between us.
“Are ya scared of me?” He glanced down at me with an amused smirk on his face.
“No.” Looking into his eyes, I really wasn’t. There was something hidden in his irises, dancing just beneath the amusement and pride, that left me comfortable in his presence. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it made me smile.
“Good. I don’t want ya scared, darlin’. I just wanna . . . actually, I can’t even say what.” Another carefree laugh left him. “All I know is there was no way I coulda let ya walk off tonight without talkin’ some more.”
Feeling confidence bloom in my chest, I walked over to where he’d been sitting moments before. “So, how do you know about this spot?” I asked as I lowered myself to the ground.
“Few years back, we were here, and I needed some space. I stumbled ’cross it.” He sat beside me.
“So you don’t live here?”
“No, ma’am. I hail from Georgia. I’m in town for two nights for my buddy’s birthday, and then I’m on a plane to Michigan.”
“You travel a lot?”
“A bit, yeah.” The amusement in his features sparkled as he spoke as if there were some great secret about his travel that I didn’t know but perhaps should have.
“And this friend, did you ditch him for me?”
“Well, a pretty li’l thang like you beckons, who am I to refuse?”
“Now I feel bad that I dragged you away on his birthday.”
“Darlin’, don’t feel bad. His birthday was two days ago. Tonight is all about you. Relax. Lie back. Enjoy the night.”
“That sounds exactly like what I need.” I relaxed backwards to lie on the grass.
He laughed. “I didn’t expect ya to actually lay down.”
I closed my eyes and smiled.
“Ya ain’t like other girls I’ve met.”
“I told you I wasn’t.”
A moment later, I sensed him move to lie down beside me.
I opened one eye to glance at him, expecting him to be mimicking my position. Only he wasn’t. He was lying on his side, with his head resting on one hand, his gaze focused on me.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothin’.”
Raising a brow, I rolled onto my side to match his position. “Stop it.”
“I ain’t doin’ nothin’.” His lazy smile grew, showing off the lopsided dimples on his cheeks.
“You’re looking at me.”
“Just admirin’ the view.”
I swallowed hard to try to stop the butterflies that fluttered through my stomach. Then I blew out a breath and found a new confidence. Instead of telling him to stop again, I played his game and let my gaze trail his features. With his strong jaw, stubble, and eyes that started as a dark chocolate in the centre and faded to a soft amber at the edges, he definitely wasn’t hard to look at. The way he rested his head on his arm caused his bicep to flex and his flannel shirt to hang open, revealing a tee that didn’t quite cover the smattering of sandy brown hair over a sculpted chest.
As if he realised what I was doing, he grinned. “And how’s your view?”
I made a face and lifted my free hand to say so-so but then smiled to show I wasn’t being serious.
“I really like this,” he said as he lifted his free hand and touched his thumb to the place where the corner of my mouth turned up. Warmth rushed from the point of contact to course through my body. I held myself completely still as his gaze focused on his hand—or maybe it was my lips—as he continued his movement to trail the knuckle of his index finger over the edge of my smile.
For a moment, it seemed he was totally unaffected by the touch, but then he released a shaky breath, and his eyes met mine. Like it had as we climbed off the bike, time stood still.
“And your eyes, darlin’, they’re as mesmerizin’ as the sea.”
At least he hadn’t said they looked like Dad’s like
“No, but would you prefer if I did?’
He frowned. “No, I don’t think I’d like that.”
In one steady movement, he rose to his feet again and covered the small distance between us.
“Are ya scared of me?” He glanced down at me with an amused smirk on his face.
“No.” Looking into his eyes, I really wasn’t. There was something hidden in his irises, dancing just beneath the amusement and pride, that left me comfortable in his presence. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it made me smile.
“Good. I don’t want ya scared, darlin’. I just wanna . . . actually, I can’t even say what.” Another carefree laugh left him. “All I know is there was no way I coulda let ya walk off tonight without talkin’ some more.”
Feeling confidence bloom in my chest, I walked over to where he’d been sitting moments before. “So, how do you know about this spot?” I asked as I lowered myself to the ground.
“Few years back, we were here, and I needed some space. I stumbled ’cross it.” He sat beside me.
“So you don’t live here?”
“No, ma’am. I hail from Georgia. I’m in town for two nights for my buddy’s birthday, and then I’m on a plane to Michigan.”
“You travel a lot?”
“A bit, yeah.” The amusement in his features sparkled as he spoke as if there were some great secret about his travel that I didn’t know but perhaps should have.
“And this friend, did you ditch him for me?”
“Well, a pretty li’l thang like you beckons, who am I to refuse?”
“Now I feel bad that I dragged you away on his birthday.”
“Darlin’, don’t feel bad. His birthday was two days ago. Tonight is all about you. Relax. Lie back. Enjoy the night.”
“That sounds exactly like what I need.” I relaxed backwards to lie on the grass.
He laughed. “I didn’t expect ya to actually lay down.”
I closed my eyes and smiled.
“Ya ain’t like other girls I’ve met.”
“I told you I wasn’t.”
A moment later, I sensed him move to lie down beside me.
I opened one eye to glance at him, expecting him to be mimicking my position. Only he wasn’t. He was lying on his side, with his head resting on one hand, his gaze focused on me.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothin’.”
Raising a brow, I rolled onto my side to match his position. “Stop it.”
“I ain’t doin’ nothin’.” His lazy smile grew, showing off the lopsided dimples on his cheeks.
“You’re looking at me.”
“Just admirin’ the view.”
I swallowed hard to try to stop the butterflies that fluttered through my stomach. Then I blew out a breath and found a new confidence. Instead of telling him to stop again, I played his game and let my gaze trail his features. With his strong jaw, stubble, and eyes that started as a dark chocolate in the centre and faded to a soft amber at the edges, he definitely wasn’t hard to look at. The way he rested his head on his arm caused his bicep to flex and his flannel shirt to hang open, revealing a tee that didn’t quite cover the smattering of sandy brown hair over a sculpted chest.
As if he realised what I was doing, he grinned. “And how’s your view?”
I made a face and lifted my free hand to say so-so but then smiled to show I wasn’t being serious.
“I really like this,” he said as he lifted his free hand and touched his thumb to the place where the corner of my mouth turned up. Warmth rushed from the point of contact to course through my body. I held myself completely still as his gaze focused on his hand—or maybe it was my lips—as he continued his movement to trail the knuckle of his index finger over the edge of my smile.
For a moment, it seemed he was totally unaffected by the touch, but then he released a shaky breath, and his eyes met mine. Like it had as we climbed off the bike, time stood still.
“And your eyes, darlin’, they’re as mesmerizin’ as the sea.”
At least he hadn’t said they looked like Dad’s like
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