Ryder smiled. "It isnow."
"But how'd you make it happen?" I pointed to the popcorn, still popping merrily away. "And how'd you getthatstarted?"
He shrugged. "Call it good timing."
Yeah, right.He could shrug all he wanted, but I wasn't fooled. The amount of planning that must've gone into this – timing everything right down to the minute – must've taken a ridiculous amount of coordination.
I couldn't stop smiling. "You wanna know whatIcall it?"
"What?"
"The best date ever."
Looking amused, he replied, "That's a pretty bold claim."
Not the wayIsaw it. "How do you figure?"
He flicked his head toward the screen. "Maybe I've cued up Rambo."
I lunged toward him and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. But I didn't kiss him. Instead, I pressed my lips to his ear and whispered, "Surely not."
And his reply?It was exactly what I'd wanted, my favoriteAirplane!quote, said with a low chuckle. "Don't call me Shirley."
I laughed against his neck, loving the feel of his body against mine as his muscular arms gathered me close. Softly, I said, "Sothat'swhy you laughed, I mean, right before we drove in?"
"That wasonereason."
"What was the other?"
"Your smile. It was cute as hell."
Silly was more like it.With a happy sigh, I pulled back to look at him,reallylook at him. That killer smile was still there, lazy and devastating, paired with those incredible eyes that made it hard for me to look away.
I confessed, "Do you know, I've never been to a drive-in?" But then I paused. "I mean, I've gotten fast food in my car, but those are drive-throughs, not drive-ins. I always wondered what it would be like."
I turned and looked through the pickup's rear window. The barn doors were still open, and by now, it was nearly dark. From the driver's seat, Ryder said, "Hang on. Let me get the doors."
I reached for the passenger's side door. "I'll help."
"Oryou could grab the popcorn." He looked in that direction. "There should be a cooler underneath. Grab whatever you want and snag something for me."
I laughed. "Whiskey?"
"Nah," he said. "I had enough ofthatlast night."
It was amazing how quickly things could change. Awestruck, I asked, "Wow, was that only last night?" I paused to lower my voice. "Can I confess something?"
"Anything."
"With you, time has been really funny."
"How so?"
"Well, for one thing, it seems like I've known you a lot longer."
He smiled. "I know the feeling."
"Really?"
