surrounded by footlights. The crystal clear water sparkled invitingly and as she stared at the depths, she envisioned herself in a similar pool, the water slipping cool against her arms, the night air above her hot and humid. She tried to hang on to the image, to memorize every detail, but like before, it was gone almost as quickly as it came and with a frustrated sigh, she said, “We can’t talk about me, Brady. I don’t know anything about me.”
Seeing the whole thing disturbed her, Brady urged her over to a flowered lounge positioned a few feet from the edge of the pool. After she took a seat on the end of the long chair, he sank next to her and reached for her hand.
“I’m sorry, Lass. I wasn’t thinking. Damn it, I’ve never been around anyone who can’t remember who they are and I keep forgetting to watch my words. Everything I say seems to put a glaring light on your predicament.”
Shaking her head, she stared pensively into the darkness. “That’s all right. I don’t want you to watch your words around me, Brady. I want you to be yourself. I don’t want you to try to isolate or cushion me from reality. I’m tougher than you think. Really I am.”
Brady couldn’t stop his hands from wrapping around her slender shoulders or turning her toward him. There was something sweetly endearing about her that pulled at everything inside of him. Something about the trusting look in her gray eyes that made him want to be her protector, her hero, her everything.
“Tough is not the way I’d describe you, Lass,” he saidlowly. The holes in the crocheted shawl exposed patches of skin to his hands. The soft feel of it excited him, almost as much as gazing at the moist curves of her lips. “Strong. But not tough.”
Her lashes fluttered demurely against her cheeks. “Brady, we came out here for a walk,” she pointed out. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re sitting.”
He rubbed the top of his forefinger beneath her chin and swallowed as the urge to kiss her threatened to overtake his senses.
He murmured, “As a deputy of this county, I can assure you that sitting isn’t a crime.”
The tip of her tongue slipped out to nervously moisten her top lip. “Brady, that kiss…earlier—”
“Yes?”
“I don’t think we should repeat it.”
She looked confused and worried and for the first time in his life, Brady felt a bit of unease himself. Which didn’t make any sense. Kissing a beautiful woman had never concerned him before. He didn’t know why it should give him second thoughts now. But kissing Lass had been different, he realized. So different that he wanted to do it over. He wanted to make sure it had actually felt that amazing.
“Why?”
Her mouth fell open. “You have to ask? Brady, I can’t even tell you my name! I don’t even know how old I am!”
He cupped his palm against the side of her face as his thoughts rolled back to the night he’d found her lying lifelessly in the ditch. When she’d finally regained consciousness and he’d sheltered her in his arms, he’d experienced some very unprofessional feelings and since he’d gotten to know her, those unprofessional feelings had only deepened. Hell, that was enough to scare any tried and truebachelor. But it didn’t scare him enough to make him rise to his feet and walk away from her.
“Of course you can tell me your name,” he insisted. “It’s Lass.”
“Only temporarily.”
Ignoring that, he said, “And you certainly look old enough to kiss.”
She sighed. “Kate says you’re somewhat of a ladies’ man.”
He grimaced. “Grandma has a motormouth.”
“Then she was speaking the truth?”
Since she wasn’t trying to pull away, Brady made the most of the close proximity by delving his fingers into her silky hair, sliding them downward through the long strands.
“Look, Lass, I’m not going to pretend I’ve been some sort of saint. Especially when—”
“When I can’t even tell you what I’ve been,”
Seeing the whole thing disturbed her, Brady urged her over to a flowered lounge positioned a few feet from the edge of the pool. After she took a seat on the end of the long chair, he sank next to her and reached for her hand.
“I’m sorry, Lass. I wasn’t thinking. Damn it, I’ve never been around anyone who can’t remember who they are and I keep forgetting to watch my words. Everything I say seems to put a glaring light on your predicament.”
Shaking her head, she stared pensively into the darkness. “That’s all right. I don’t want you to watch your words around me, Brady. I want you to be yourself. I don’t want you to try to isolate or cushion me from reality. I’m tougher than you think. Really I am.”
Brady couldn’t stop his hands from wrapping around her slender shoulders or turning her toward him. There was something sweetly endearing about her that pulled at everything inside of him. Something about the trusting look in her gray eyes that made him want to be her protector, her hero, her everything.
“Tough is not the way I’d describe you, Lass,” he saidlowly. The holes in the crocheted shawl exposed patches of skin to his hands. The soft feel of it excited him, almost as much as gazing at the moist curves of her lips. “Strong. But not tough.”
Her lashes fluttered demurely against her cheeks. “Brady, we came out here for a walk,” she pointed out. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re sitting.”
He rubbed the top of his forefinger beneath her chin and swallowed as the urge to kiss her threatened to overtake his senses.
He murmured, “As a deputy of this county, I can assure you that sitting isn’t a crime.”
The tip of her tongue slipped out to nervously moisten her top lip. “Brady, that kiss…earlier—”
“Yes?”
“I don’t think we should repeat it.”
She looked confused and worried and for the first time in his life, Brady felt a bit of unease himself. Which didn’t make any sense. Kissing a beautiful woman had never concerned him before. He didn’t know why it should give him second thoughts now. But kissing Lass had been different, he realized. So different that he wanted to do it over. He wanted to make sure it had actually felt that amazing.
“Why?”
Her mouth fell open. “You have to ask? Brady, I can’t even tell you my name! I don’t even know how old I am!”
He cupped his palm against the side of her face as his thoughts rolled back to the night he’d found her lying lifelessly in the ditch. When she’d finally regained consciousness and he’d sheltered her in his arms, he’d experienced some very unprofessional feelings and since he’d gotten to know her, those unprofessional feelings had only deepened. Hell, that was enough to scare any tried and truebachelor. But it didn’t scare him enough to make him rise to his feet and walk away from her.
“Of course you can tell me your name,” he insisted. “It’s Lass.”
“Only temporarily.”
Ignoring that, he said, “And you certainly look old enough to kiss.”
She sighed. “Kate says you’re somewhat of a ladies’ man.”
He grimaced. “Grandma has a motormouth.”
“Then she was speaking the truth?”
Since she wasn’t trying to pull away, Brady made the most of the close proximity by delving his fingers into her silky hair, sliding them downward through the long strands.
“Look, Lass, I’m not going to pretend I’ve been some sort of saint. Especially when—”
“When I can’t even tell you what I’ve been,”
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