Karl swallowed hard. And swallowed again, because he honestly couldn’t think of a single PG-rated thing to suggest. Emmy seemed receptive to flirting—she’d gone on a date with him after two minutes’ acquaintance and got up early to see him, and was going onanotherdate with him in a few hours, all of which seemed positive—but he wasn’t sure saying ‘making out like bunnies’ wasflirting, so to speak. He was afraid it was just crude and too direct. The last thing he wanted in this or any other world was to drive her off by being gross.
Fortunately for him, Emmy started to giggle. At least, he thought it was fortunate. Having women laughing at him didn’t seem like the best way to pursue a relationship—not that he was thinking about a relationship! Not with a woman he’d known less than a day! Not with anybody, given that he had his trek to finish, and his whole life to figure out after that.
On the other hand, they said women liked men who made them laugh.
Of course, he wasn’t exactly sure he’d made her laugh, in this case. This had more of a ‘laughing at him’ vibe, although he’d been sitting there gaping like a fish, so he couldn’t really blame her for her amusement.
Especially when it was so dangcute. Her giggles started with her dark eyes going very bright and shiny, and her lips pressed together. Then they graduated to the corners of those wonderful lips turning upward, and her shoulders beginning to shake with suppressed laughter. After just a few seconds, the laughter refused to be suppressed any longer, and burst out of her in little pops of bubbly joy before cascading over into helpless release.
Karl forgot about breakfast and stood up abruptly. Half a second later he realized that might be a terrible idea, because certain parts of his body were at full attention. At least he was wearing jeans and a long-ish t-shirt that covered most, ah, sins. “Let’s do our hike first and then when we’re all hot and sweaty we’ll return to the question.”
Emmy threw her head back androaredwith laughter, drawing the attention of the other diners in the B&B’s breakfast room. Karl sank into his seat again, face in his hands. “That sounded different in my head.”
“I bet it did!” Emmy wheezed the words through laughter, wiping her eyes and almost getting herself under control before she glanced at Karl and burst out laughing again. “I’ve never seen anybody blush that red before. Are you okay?”
“If I could die of embarrassment,” Karl mumbled into his hands, but he wasn’t kidding even himself: he’d been watching Emmy through his fingers the whole time. She was so lovely, flushed with laughter herself, her whole body alight with merriment. “You’re beautiful, Ms. Jones.”
“Says the Nordic god in my breakfast room,” Emmy said with a happy sigh as her laughter died down. “Thank you. So are you. And also funny. Most women would kill for a date with a guy who was one or the other, and I’ve got both. So let’s go get hot and sweaty.”
CHAPTER7
Forty minutes later, tromping along the edge of yesterday's cow field, Emmy reminded herself that she’d basically gotten herself into this. Maybe it was the whole fated mate thing, but Karl Sutton was clearly into her. She was absolutely positive he would have been enthusiastic about getting hot and sweaty in totally different ways, if she’d only led him to her bedroom instead of the B&B’s minivan.
The problem—a problem—was that she still more or less lived at home. Most of her family did, although there was often a sibling or two off doing something else at any given moment. She could afford a place of her own, but the family business thing meant it was just as easy to stay at home.
It hadn’t really been an issue until today. She’d never fallen madly in love with a guy who was just passing through town before. Her boyfriends had had their own places where they could hook up. Those places had never beenher own family’s bed and breakfast.
An unexpected giggle burst from her, and Karl, a couple steps ahead, glanced over his shoulder. “Dare I ask?”
“Just debating the merits of my own apartment,” Emmy said cheerfully. “I feel like I could do better than the side of a cow field.”
Total dismay made Karl’s eyes widen. “Oh no no. I wasn’t planning to, I mean, oh god no, I’m sorry, that wasn’t what you thought the secret was, was it? Not that I wouldn’t, you’regorgeous, and at least it’s been sunny so it’s not muddy out here, but I definitely don’t need a bovine audience to romance! And I bet leaning up against a fence would involve a lot of splinters in places youreallydon’t want splinters.”
In my paws,her rabbit agreed so sadly that Emmy had to actually stop and lean on the fence in question while she howled with laughter.
Her rabbit looked at her absolutelytragically. Emmy laughed even harder, wiping tears from her eyes and waving a hand at Karl, whose distress had faded to total confusion.You’re right,she told her rabbit with all the fondness in the world.Splinters in paws are justterrible.
The bunny nodded mournfully, and Emmy hauled herself upright again, trying to subdue the last of her giggles. “I wasn’t laughing at you,” she promised. “I just. Oh, it’ll be easier to show you than explain. I have a secret of my own.”
Karl’s ears turned faintly red. “Mine also wasn’t an ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’ kind of secret, just…just for the record.”
Heat flashed through Emmy, turning her laughter sizzling hot. For a moment up against a fence didn’t sound like a bad idea at all, but then her poor rabbit imagined a splinter in its paw again. It didn’t exactly kill Emmy’s libido, but it did make her reconsider the location, and turned her smile for Karl very warm. “No, I didn’t think so. You don’t seem that, I don’t know, crude? Although you’re so handsome I assume you could get away with playing doctor.”
Karl’s whole jawline flushed red. “Handsome? Really?”
Pure disbelief raised Emmy’s eyebrows. “Oh, come on, you’ve got to know you’re a ten.”
The poor man twisted his shoulders uncomfortably. “I guess. It never really mattered this much before.”
Excitement and hope thrilled Emmy right to the core of her…soul. That was definitely her soul tingling with anticipation. “But it does now?”
Karl took a step closer to her. “It really does. Look, I know I’m ridiculous, we haven’t even known each other a full day, but right from the first moment I saw you, Emmy, just…wow. You’re amazing. I guess that’s really basic of me, falling head over heels for physical appearances, but you’re so incredibly beautiful. And practically the first thing you said to me was about Oliver Twist and Les Miserables, so I don’t think I’mtotallyshallow, because a woman who makes random literary references is intellectually hot too and—”
Emmy reached up and put her fingertips over his lips. His lips, which were so soft she momentarily forgot how to talk. There were so many better things they could be doing with their mouths than talk. But she should probably tell him she was a rabbit, first. “First, I’d forgive you if you were as shallow as a teaspoon—”
He laughed beneath her fingertips, and Emmy thought if there had been any doubt in her entire soul that this man was exactly who she wanted, the feeling of his laughter against her skin would have wiped them all away. Everything she’d been going to say seemed momentarily unimportant. Sliding her hand to the back of his neck and standing on her toes to pull Karl down into a kiss,thatwas important.
His mouth was as soft on hers as it had been under her fingertips. There was no hesitation in his kiss, or in the way he lifted his hands to frame her face as their mouths fit together, no awkwardness or uncertainty even in that first kiss. Karl’s fingers sank into her hair as they explored each other’s lips, sweetness turning to confident hunger within seconds. Emmy had never been kissed that way before, like every brush of their lips and exchange of breath was meant to be, tasting and feeling like perfection.
