She giggled, soft and sweet and enough to send zaps of energy into the air between us. “At least you’re the kind of stalker wholurks in your car and attacks my potential harassers.”
“Clearing my path, that’s all.”
“Path of destruction?” She untied her apron, tucking it under her arm.
“Just gettin’ rid of all the foolish bastards who think they have a shot at a kind soul like yours.”
My words seemed to strike her, ending our easy banter in favor of a small cloud of emotion.
“Sorry. I probably started this all wrong.” I grinned sheepishly, holding the front door of the coffee shop wide so she could exit and then turn to lock it behind her. “I’d love to take you out for something to eat and hear about your day.”
She arched one eyebrow, my words seeming to rattle her again, before a soft smile crept up her cheeks. “Every thought in my head is yelling at me to say no to you, Arkin Broderick.”
I swallowed the lump of anxiety leveraged in my throat.
“But—” she tucked her nose into the blooms and inhaled “—there’s something about you…” She shook her head, bemused. “I just can’t force the word no from my lips when you’re standing across from me with that smile, fancy leather shoes and all.”
I rocked back and forth on my feet, a very new pair of dark-wash jeans covering my thighs and those Italian leather things. I leaned in extra close, fingers moving a wisp of her hair from her cheek. “Since you brought ’em up our last date, figured that meant you liked them.”
Her blush deepened a lush crimson shade, the color of a ripe fall fruit. “Pretty quick to own that date word, huh?”
She seemed uneasy again, and my mind was running away with me looking for ways to make her feel a little more comfortable with me. I didn’t know why I was drawn to her like I was, why she’d constantly lingered on my mind since our first meeting, or why I had the persistent sense of protection when I was with her.
She was hesitant, like a newborn bird, and every part of me wasaware that she needed tenderness from me before anything else.
“I’ll take what I can get with you.” I resisted pressing a kiss to her pillowy lips, pulling away and regaining some of that control that’d been wavering. “I’m happy to take you to Reggio’s again, but if you’re up for a little adventure, I’ve got another plan.”
Her eyes moved from her car back to me, as if she was warring with herself. “I have to work in the morning, early.”
I nodded. “Not a problem. Early bedtime tonight. Got it.”
She finally nodded. “Should I follow you?”
“Well, the place I had in mind is a little more rugged than the Toyota can take.”
She hesitated again, shifting back and forth on her feet.
“If you want, you can follow me all the way to the last paved road, park at the pull-off, and—”
“No, no, that would be silly.” She brushed my words away. “I already online searched you anyway, I trust you.”
I barked a laugh, thinking how much things had changed since I’d last done this. “Good, I think?”
Her grin brightened, like she was going to force herself to enjoy this, before she tossed her apron in the back of her car and turned. “Well, let’s get on with this date, Knight.”
I shook my head, amused that I never could tell what might come out of that mouth of hers.
“I’ve got a few extra sweatshirts in the back if it gets chilly.” I helped her into my truck before taking off around to the other side. I was totally winging this second date of ours, but for some reason I got the sense that a little peace was what she needed, not another noisy restaurant.
Or maybe that was just me, wanting to dig a little deeper under Daphne’s skin.
“Call me crazy”—I turned the key on my truck—“but I was thinking we can stop at the market on the edge of town and get some stuff for a picnic.”
Surprise etched her features before she nodded. “That sounds perfect, actually.”
“It’s weird how comfortable I am around you.” She sipped more of the strawberry sparkling water out of her very fancy disposable champagne flute.
“I'm a talented guy.” I shrugged, thinking how well I’d pulled off this spontaneous date. The small clearing near a lake where I’d done some fishing as a kid proved to be a surprisingly romantic spot.
