I hop out of the truck so fast I forget the sandwiches and have to go back for them.
After grabbing them, I try not to sprint to her, but to walk casually. Because this is supposed to be casual. I’m totally chill about her and us and am in no way feeling the sand shift under my feet like I’m on my way to falling head over heels.
“Thank you so much,” she says as I hand over her sandwich. “I’m starving, and it wasn’t looking good for me to be able to make it to town and pick up lunch before my break was done.”
I sit on the bench next to her. “So, does that mean you miss lunch on busy days or do you usually pack a lunch?”
“Both,” she says. “This morning was…” She shakes her head with a wistful smile. “Chaotic. I didn’t get a chance to pack a lunch.”
“Is Marmalade causing you more trouble?” I really hope he is, because it gives me an excuse to go back to her house.
She purses her lips and nods. “Uh-huh. He is a chaos demon.”
I want to cheer for joy, but I slowly unwrap my sandwich, take a bite and chew while admiring the view before I speak. “I actually have some ideas about expanding his gym to keep him happy.”
She smiles. “That’s sweet, but I can’t ask you to do more free labor. He’ll adjust.”
“I want to,” I say, trying not to sound too eager. “And these ideas I have will definitely be something I can sell to other clients.”
“What did you have in mind?”
I put my sandwich down so I can use both hands as I describe my ideas. A walkway that goes around the entire room. Adding fake branches and leaves and creating a ‘tree’ he can climb on. A hammock and a nest.
“Wow,” she says when I’m done. “That sounds…elaborate.”
“I know you’re busy. But it’ll all be easy to do and won’t take long. Give me another full day and I can get it done.”
“I’m not sure when I’ll be able to… I’m interested, but I need to look at my schedule.”
I deflate, but hope my smile doesn’t show my disappointment. “Sure, just let me know.”
She’s almost finished her sandwich, which means this lunch is going to end way too soon. I need to get her talking. I wrap my sandwich up for later and angle myself on the bench to face her. “How’d you find this place?”
“My family used to own this land, years ago. The current owners never come out here.”
I’m not buying what she’s selling. “But they put this bench here?”
She shrugs, her expression pure mischief. “I’m in a city vehicle. I can come up with a reason for being here.”
I chuckle. “So I’m the only one going to jail?”
She bundles up her trash and pats my thigh. “I’ll cover for you. I’ll tell them you’re helping me. Official government business.”
“You’ll perjure yourself for me?” I bat my eyelashes dramatically. “That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
She laughs, and my happiness meter rockets off the charts. She has a great laugh.
“I don’t have much time left,” she says, glancing at her watch.
“Got a long list of animals to save today?”
She nods. “I’m like Wonder Woman, but for animals.”
I can’t resist her anymore. She’s just too damn adorable. I lean in and kiss her smiling lips, gently at first, but when she responds, more firmly.
She pulls away with a little sigh, then climbs onto my lap, straddling me. I’m rock hard in an instant and already trying to figure out how we can have sex on this hard wooden bench.
“How often do the owners really come out here?” I ask.
