"Lynn, should I be a good boy and wait until after dinner to kiss you?"
Her eyes lock with mine as she freezes.
Giving her a light squeeze, I murmur, "Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking."
Her breath is shaky as she whispers, "Squirrels on fire." I don't know what that means, but she stretches up to meet me halfway in a gentle, soft kiss.
Her silky lips against mine inject pure adrenaline into my bloodstream. Trying desperately to hold back, our kiss deepens, our mouths teasingly soft as she snuggles into my arms. We practically melt into each other, as my hand tangles into the back of her hair.
By the time I pull away, we're both breathless, twitching restlessly.
I brush her hair away from her face, trailing my fingers along her cheekbone. "Wow. That was one for the record book."
She makes a sound that's a cross between a giggle, laugh, and a snort. "What do you mean?"
"Our first kiss. My first kiss here in the forest. And my first kiss with a woman who…" My hand gently cups her cheek. "A woman who I already know is extremely important to me."
Lynn's eyes drop for a moment. "That's a lot to take in," she whispers.
"You're right." I step back, holding her hands between us and giving them a shake. "We need food. We must do what is proper on this don't-call-it-a-date."
I help her into the truck, making sure she's buckled in, then wait until I'm driving down the road to ask, "I gotta know. What's with the flaming squirrels?"
3
LYNN
The tingle of Ansel's kiss is still on my lips. I can't believe that happened. Yet it also felt inevitable. There's something about Ansel that makes me feel steadier and excited at the same time.
I'm taking too long to answer, and know that he might see it as being unresponsive.
"Hey, it's all right," he says casually, reaching across the leather bench of the truck to squeeze my hand. "If it's some sort of pretty girl secret, that's fine."
I sit up straighter and take a slow breath. "No, I should tell you."
He turns onto the highway toward Kingsville, then glances over to me, smiling encouragingly. Something clicks, and I know that I can tell him anything.
"I've always been incredibly shy. I've been trying to work on that. The girls at work are unbelievably great – being patient with me, asking me lots of easy questions to get me to chat. It helps when it comes to dealing with customers all day."
Ansel squeezes my hand again. "You've got terrific coworkers."
"When I get really nervous, my body has crazy reactions. But instead of letting that make me even more nervous, lately I've been describing it as something ridiculous, to take the edge off."
As I look over, he's smiling and nodding. "That sounds really healthy."
"Anyway, when you asked me out, it felt like there were squirrels being chased by fire running around in my guts."
His rich laugh rings out through the cab of the truck, as he threads his fingers through mine. "That is amazing." His hand feels so good in mine, but he has to pull it back to pass a row of large trucks.
"So I guess we need to put out the fire, and keep those squirrels safe?"
I smile. "Good idea."
"Honestly, Lynn, when you're feeling shy and quiet, just let me know. Or just don't say anything. I promise I will never be offended."
How can a man I just met already understand me so well?
"And then sometimes, if you're feeling like you want to be a bit more open, you could choose not to be shy with me." He flashes me another one of those gorgeous megawatt smiles. "I want you to be yourself. But I also want you to be comfortable. So if it helps, don't think that you ever need to be normal or whatever around me. Just go with the flow." He reaches out to pat my stomach. "Go with your gut."
