She was still nervous about what he might say about last night, but he was certainly acting like everything was fine.
He started the car, adjusted the AC vents, and put on his seatbelt, but he didn’t shift into drive.
“Hey.” His voice was low. And husky.
Oh. Now? He wants to talk about it now? Okay.
She tried to say ‘hey’ or ‘yeah’ orsomething, but her voice cracked. She coughed a couple of times.Nice. Real smooth.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded and cleared her throat. “Sorry. What were . . . you were about to say something?”
His gaze swept from the steering wheel to the gearshift, and an uncharacteristic twinge flit across his face. Nervous? Was Jason Bridger actually nervous? This is new.
He locked eyes with her, and all signs of nerves disappeared. “About last night. About our kiss . . .”
Why did she love the way he called it ‘our kiss?’ Not ‘that kiss’ or ‘the kiss.’
“Yes?”
The sudden seriousness in his eyes did not give her a clue which direction this was about to go. But whatever he was about to say, he was going to mean it.
“Tayla, I don’t want you to think I go around kissing women all the time. I really don’t. You’re the first woman I’ve kissed in . . . it’s been years. I know things were emotional yesterday, so if I overstepped, I apologize.”
“No. No, you didn’t overstep. You don’t owe me an apology.”
He looked relieved.
She couldn’t subdue the smile inching across her face. “If I didn’t want you to kiss me, I wouldn’t have let you. You didn’t take advantage.”
That caught him off guard. Surprise lit on his face, followed by amusement. “You wanted me to kiss you?”
“If I didn’t make that clear last night . . .” She didn’t know how to finish her sentence. Was he kidding? Was it not a good kiss for him? Last night’s kiss stopped her heartand turned her world upside down. She finally admitted to herself that she hoped he felt the same. That he was interested in exploring what might be between them.
She didn’t deserve a man like Jason. But she couldn’t suppress the hope in her heart.
He slid his hand over the SUV’s enormous console and held hers. “It was clear. I just wanted to know if you felt differently today.”
“No. I feel the same way.” Why was her voice all breathy? She felt his hand tighten ever-so-slightly around hers. Electricity between them sparked at power-surge levels. Everything in her wanted to lean over the console and continue what they started last night.
Except the console monstrosity between them was ridiculously large. Even if he leaned over half-way, which he practically was, leaning her petite body over the console’s storage compartment would feel so awkward. She couldn’t fathom why it was large enough to hold a soccer ball. And, four cup holders? Why does any car need four cup holders between the front seats?
He looked down at their hands and pulled his thumb across her knuckles, the way he did while she was explaining how Spence left her in a cave filling with water.Sometimes it was hard to believe she could ever trust a man again. And here she was, with a man she’d known for only three days, starting to believe she could trust Jason.
His thumb brushed her knuckles again, and his gaze lifted to hers. “If you still feel the same after we find Gus’s killer, when all this is wrapped up, could I take you to dinner?”
“Yes. That sounds great.” Oh, wow.
I haven’t been on a date since Spence died. Am I ready for this? Dear God, please guard my heart, because my head is spinning.
He squeezed her hand and shifted the car into drive.
She put on her seatbelt. And tried to breathe normally.
Placing cameras on and around the weather-worn pier was easier than Jason thought it would be. Several thick wooden posts lined both sides of the pier, with a small covered area at the end. The entire structure was in disrepair, but strong enough to be useable.
He didn’t see anyone nearby, but even if someone was watching, he and Tayla looked very much like a coupleout sightseeing. They strolled down the pier, enjoyed the ocean breeze, and pointed out dolphins and turtles in the stunning turquoise water.
