“Yeah, but really. Where did you come from, Arkin Broderick?” She sipped more of the drink. “And why did it take you so long to get here?”
I laughed. “Where’s here, exactly?”
“With me,” she said, shrugging. “It’s like, just when I need you, there you are, flying in like a superhero to save my day.”
I nodded, thinking that was a pretty good approximation of how the last few meetings with her had been. “My Spidey sense is on point.”
“I work with so many people at the coffee shop, it’s a revolving door of personalities,” she whispered thoughtfully, eyes bouncing around the constellations above our head. “I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people.”
“What’s your read on me, then?” I lay back at her side, arms behind my head. Her profile was silhouetted against the creamy moonlight.
“Kind.” She turned, eyes meeting mine. “Proud.” She leaned back, mimicking my pose, shoulder to shoulder.
“Bossy.” Amusement tickled her voice. “Maybe a little dark.”
“Dark, huh?” I considered her words, never realizing before now that maybe I was projecting a moody bastard sort of vibe withouteven realizing it.
“Remember I did an Internet search. I know about the arrest.” She gazed at the ground as she spoke, and my heart stood still. My whole body stiffened. That arrest was years ago, after everything happened. I was a hurt and angry kid, barely twenty-two. I didn’t regret what I did—I never would. Because of what I did, another girl didn’t get hurt.
“It’s okay. The bastard deserved it. Do you make it a habit of rescuing women?” she asked while taking another sip of her drink. Her eyes were on me intently, as if trying to get an answer without making me say a word.
“Someone I love got brutally raped and killed. It triggered something. I guess I'm working through it, and I guess that makes me too dark for some people.” I looked at her, trying to see if I was a monster in her eyes, but all I saw was the color of the ocean staring back at me, wild and beautiful.
“Not for me,” she breathed, “because you’re also fun-loving.” She softened, her tone shifting from serious to teasing. She was giving me an out, and I took it. Our shoulders and hips brushed, her skin sizzling against mine even through the cotton of our clothes. “And so protective.”
“That’s probably a pretty accurate reading. I’ll be sure to tip extra.”
She rolled over, one hand buried in her waves of hair as she propped herself on her side to nail me with her intense eyes. “If the company is good, no tip is required.”
She grinned mischievously before popping up from her place on the brand-new picnic blanket, pushing her arms at both sides and twirling softly. The wind picked up around us, and her smile widened. The vision of her twirling under the stars like that was sweet enough to hold me over for the rest of my life.
A slow classic love song wafted out of the speakers of my truck, and without thinking, I rose to my feet, crossing the distancethat separated us.
I was drawn to her like a firefly in darkness.
She turned, and our eyes locked as we neared each other. I paused, just at the edge of her personal space, before she pressed her fingertips to my waist and leaned in. My heart fell a half a dozen floors to my feet, her touch sending shots of fire through every nerve in my body.
Without a word, my hands entwined with hers. She was so soft and quiet against my chest. With every moment, she crawled a little deeper into my chest, settling herself in all of my dark places with her light.
“News to both of us…” My lips connected with her forehead. “You’re my first dance, Daphne.”
She didn’t reply, letting the music and the wind wrap us up in our own warm little bubble. I couldn’t help thinking how easy it would be to weave this woman into my life, wake to her precious smile every morning, and kiss her to sleep at night. If picnics and slow dancing in the moonlight was life with Daphne, what in the hell had taken me so long?
After a few minutes, I finally spoke. “We should get you home. Work comes early.” The truth was, I’d give anything to stay right here with her, all night.
“Just one more song, Arkin?”
I knew then, I was a goner.
C H A P T E R S I X
Daphne
Swaying in the dark with Arkin was perfection. In his arms, I felt the world disappear and I was actually happy. Happiness was something that hadn’t come into my life very often, but here I was, surrounded by strong arms, and it felt good. It was right. His hands found my hair and his fingers gently brushed throughit, causing my body and soul to surge with delight. I wanted him to touch me everywhere.
“You are so beautiful,” he muttered into my hair.
I placed my head on his shoulder and breathed him in. I loved his scent, a mixture of work and soap. It was intoxicating, and I couldn’t get enough.
