He pushed her away suddenly and she teetered on her heels. His eyes shone with lust. And determination.
“I needed one more for the road.” He stepped back out the door and pulled it shut, never breaking eye contact until he had to. “Lock your door.” His voice reached her from the other side.
She flipped the deadbolt with a low, frustrated scream. Hands on her hips, she glared at the offending barrier. The sound of his engine pulling out of her drive reached her and she looked at Polly.
“What the fuck? You think if I cut off his balls, he’d still do that?”
Polly’s doggy grin held no answers.
Jase’s mood was very different than the previous night. He seemed almost somber. Reserved.
What the hell happened?
Doubt assailed her. Why did he want her to bring Polly and Charlie? Was he having second thoughts about “romancing” her? Was he having second thoughts aboutthem? Did he suggest bringing the dogs because he was worried about her having a breakdown? Would he take her somewhere to break up with her? Her thoughts raced, keeping pace with the scenery flashing by.
She had to get a grip; her emotions were running wild, making her imagine the worst-case scenario. Making her act like some silly school girl.
He pulled her hand out of her lap and kissed her knuckles. It soothed her nerves. Would he always do that when they were in the car?
“You’re quiet,” he said.
“You’requiet. What’s wrong?”
He glanced at her. “I’m second guessing where I’m taking you.”
“Where are you taking me?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He released her hand to shift gears. Easing to a stop at an intersection, he fiddled with the gearshift.
“I want to introduce you to Tony.” His voice was low, threaded with hesitation.
Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
“Shit, Bree.” He set the brake. Grasping the back of her neck, he leaned over the console and rested his forehead against hers. “We don’t have to go. It was just a thought.”
She shook her head and mirrored his gesture by grabbing the back of his neck. “It’s just stupid girl emotions.” She kissed him, wetting his mouth with her tears. “I’d like you to introduce me to Tony.”
He pulled away and brushed his thumb over her eyebrow. “It doesn’t have to be tonight.”
Her gaze was soft. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
He released her, then the brake, and eased onto the road. She wiped a hand under her eyes. They rode in silence until he pulled onto a dirt road.
“Where are we?”
“The backside of my property.”
They bumped down the road, the setting sun creating long shadows in the woods on either side of the road. Two deer, startled by the truck, bounded away into the thick underbrush, and Charlie chuffed in the backseat. Jase pulled off into a small clearing and shut off the engine. Orange light glimmered on a body of water a few yards ahead of where they stopped.
She looked around as she got out of the truck and let the dogs out of the back. Birds sang high in the trees. A splash from the water could be heard from where they parked. She wouldn’t have guessed they were only a few miles away from town. Charlie and Polly trotted off, sniffing around their new surroundings.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “Is that a lake?”
“A big pond.” He rounded the bed of his truck, carrying a cooler and a blanket. “You can walk around the entire thing in about thirty minutes.” He tilted his head to the dogs. “Will they go far?”
“No, they’ll stay close to me. Let me help.” She took the blanket from him and tucked it under her arm. He took her other hand and led them toward the water.
They skirted the edge of the pond for several minutes, the dogs exploring close by. The sun painted the sky in shades of red and orange, sending silver shafts of light reflecting off the surface of the water. Twigs and leaves crunched under the soles of her hiking boots. Jase drifted away from the water, leading her under the canopy of a large oak tree. Spanish moss hung in layers, fluttering in the slight breeze. He stopped on the far side of the trunk so they faced the breathtaking vista of the pond. She looked up at Jase, then followed his gaze to the base of the tree.
