Chapter 14
This was, hands down, one of the best dates he’d been on. Which was odd, Jace decided, seeing that he and Amy had been working half of the day. In fact, the only part that could even classify as a date was the sub shop. But that was just it; she was a fun person to be around. And heaven help him, there was something about Amy that drew him in like a helpless moth to a gorgeous, flickering flame.
Here it was, ten years after graduation, and Jace was finally able to say that his connection with her hadn’t just been in his head as he’d often wondered; he and Amy Nelson really did have something unique. A chemistry that was like a flame of its own, minus the flickering. Flaring was more like it, and growing hotter every hour.
It was the very reason he hadn’t been able to wipe that almost-kiss from his mind. It explained why thoughts of Amy swamped his head after he’d been Dear Johned. She was truly hypnotizing, and Jace couldn’t recall feeling so attracted to a woman in all his life. He was glad she hadn’t been turned off by the idea of him carrying weapons. Yes, in his line of work, Jace would be carrying indefinitely. At least that conversation was out of the way.
“You know how I fell asleep on the lounge chair?” Amy asked as Jace wiped crumbs from the table onto his serving tray.
“Yeah,” he urged.
“Well, beforeIfell asleep,youactually drifted off.”
Jace knew she was teasing so he played along. “You’re kidding.”
Amy shook her head, her face turning serious. “And you said something.”
He raised a brow. Maybe she wasn’t kidding. “What?”
“You took hold of my face, and your eyes were still closed and your voice was sleepy, but you said… you said,Amy, I’ve really been craving ice cream.”
Jace dropped his arms, dusted his hands on his jeans, and shot her a severe look of his own. He took a step closer, and then another, before cupping her face in his hands. “Amy,” he whispered under his breath.
She gulped. “Yes?”
“I hate ice cream.”
Her eyes widened. “You do not,” she scolded, like he’d admitted to hating kittens or babies.
He leaned down, he couldn’t help it, and brought his lips close to hers. “I am, however,veryfond of you.” He gave her the slightest kiss. “So ifyou’dlike ice cream, I’ll do my best to choke some down.”
Amy held his gaze for a minute, then backed away to give him a swat on the arm. “You’re a tease.” It was things like this. The fact that she’d been the one to start the teasing, only to get deeply lured into him when he’d done the same. It was adorable.
He grinned. “Amy, may I take you to get some ice cream?”
She tipped her head to one side and sighed. “I guess.” She giggled then, and Jace wrapped his arm around her, kept it there as they walked to Cone Toppers a few doors down. He’d once heard a song that spoke of a night—theperfectnight to fall in love. He knew why it occurred to him as they stood in front of the selection board at the ice cream shop. And then again as Amy sampled his pineapple ice cream before insisting he taste her white chocolate and raspberry cone.He was falling in love.Call it premature or silly. Call it naïve even, but there was no denying it. Not to himself anyway. This was the woman he wanted to marry.
Whoa.Falling in love was one thing, but marriage—where didthatcome from? Jace tried to test the idea out in his mind, see if it was a valid enough thought, but he couldn’t. Heck, they’d barely gone on a couple of dates. She was still in danger, for crying out loud. No doubt she’d make an incredible wife and mother one day. But to suddenly decide she’d be wife tohim, mother ofhiskids…
“Are you okay?”
It took a moment for his view of Amy to shift from soft focus to crystal clear. How long had he been lost in his head? He cleared his throat, glanced down at his cone. “Fine,” he mumbled. “Sorry. I get stuck in my head like that sometimes.”
An almost sad-looking smile pulled at one side of her lips. “I thought I was the only one who did that.”
Always so good at making people feel at ease, wasn’t she? “Oh yeah?”
She gave him a slow nod, leaned across the tiny, outdoor table until her face was close to his. Just when he was certain she’d kiss him, Amy took hold of his ice cream cone and gave it a lick. “I’ve been eating your ice cream for the last five minutes and you didn’t even notice.” A white smear dotted her nose as she batted those lashes at him.
Jace chuckled under his breath. “Serves me right.” He cradled the back of her neck with one hand and kissed the ice cream covered tip of her nose. He hadn’t planned to do more but he couldn’t help himself. Soon he was kissing her mouth too, her white chocolate and raspberry ice cream fusing with his tangy pineapple.
Heaven help him, he was in too deep.
He kissed her again before pulling away slowly, regretfully. He attempted a smile. It was probably a sad-looking one like the one she’d pulled a moment ago. Sad, because he reallywasin too deep. Sad, because he had to pull on the reins. It was too intense, dealing with feelings like these while trying to protect her. Things could go very wrong with this mission.
Stop, Jace. You won’t let anything go wrong.
But that was the hesitation wasn’t it? Perhaps he wasn’t so fearless after all. If Jace was so hypnotized by the one and onlyAverage Amy,there were plenty of other men out there who’d been lured in by her spell. Creeps anxious to get their hands on her. Amy Nelson had a universal appeal after all. A playful, easy nature that could make the most socially inept guy feel like the king of charisma.
