Her plan.
She scowled. What a terrible idea that had been.
Beside her, Dean roused. “Morning,” he murmured, his voice sleep-rough and husky.
Terrible, terrible idea.
“I never want to get up,” she whispered, snuggling back into the hard warmth of his body.
“Not even for a delicious kale smoothie?”
She snorted. “You really want me to take you out for a diner breakfast, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“I know a place.”
“Smoothies are fine.”
She smiled. No, they’d go to a diner. He’d put up with her food for three days. She knew a good one that could do a vegetable hash for her.
They drove, because it was a hot morning already, and after breakfast she wanted to swing downtown again. She felt a pang of guilt as they passed Jackie’s house. “Do you mind if we invite Jackie and Andrew? She just lives there—” She pointed back down the block.
“Of course not.” He frowned. “Why would I?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. Okay.” From the driver’s seat, he squeezed her left hand as she typed out a quick text message with her right. Then she remembered he didn’t know where they were going. She should have driven, but he looked really good behind the wheel. Strong and capable and the way his arm curved against the wheel, with the sun glinting in the hair on his forearm… If he was more of a social media person, she’d totally have Instagrammed that with the hashtag #ArmGuy. He was drool worthy.
“We almost there?”
Oh right. She’d been thinking about that, too. “Next block. It’s on the corner, but we’ll have to go past it to find parking.”
“You’re distracted this morning.”
“It’s possible I have a crush on you.” She grinned.
He just laughed, deep and rich, and that didn’t help the situation. Her heart fluttered in her chest.Fluttered. Oh boy.
— —
There wasa small crowd in front of the Sky Blue Cafe as they cruised past, so Dean turned onto the next block and found a free parking spot on the side street.
When he came around to her side of the car, she took his hand, and he lifted their clasped fingers so he could brush a quick kiss to her knuckles.
He liked holding her hand.
It was a little thing, really, but three days of being together, really together, had shifted something inside him.
And when they arrived at the restaurant, and that crowd had gone inside, so they were waiting at the outdoor “Please Wait To Be Seated” sign by themselves, he didn’t want to let go.
“When we get back on the bus,” he said in a rush. “We can…people could…”
She smiled up at him. “You trying to ask me something?”
The real strength of what he wanted to say needed to be saved for another time and place. “I don’t want to stop holding your hand.”
“Then don’t.”
He ducked his head and kissed her gently. Her mouth was so soft, it undid him every time.
