She blinked at him in confusion.“Nothing.Why?”
“Let’s go out.”
“Go out,” she repeated as if the words didn’t compute.
“On a date.”
“I don’t go out.”
“Would you rather stay in?”
She moistened her lips, frowning.
“I need to go back to that trail by Lost Creek and check it out,” he said.“We can have a picnic, and I’ll look for evidence.”
“A picnic?”
“Yes, Meadows.A picnic by the lake.Is that okay with you?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Wade smiled at her vague response.He’d made the offer on impulse, and an evidence search wasn’t the most romantic idea for a date.Even so, she hadn’t said no.He knew she enjoyed physical activity.She liked helping people, and she liked being outdoors.They had those interests in common.Feeling optimistic, he went to put the cash in a nearby drawer.What he saw inside made him do a double take.
He tossed the money down and picked up the pale pink bar of soap.“Is this yours?”
Color rose to her cheeks.“I thought you wanted it.”
“For what?”
“For washing, or whatever.”
Wade arched a brow.Was she insinuating that he use this soap for intimate purposes?“There’s no running water out here.”
She held out her hand.“Then give it to me, and I’ll use it.”
Wade let his gaze drift over her fully clothed form.His imagination supplied a vivid picture of her naked in the shower, touching herself with soap-slick fingers.“After you’re done, will you tell me all the details?”
Her flush deepened.“Keep dreaming, Hendricks.”
He returned the soap to the drawer.He wasn’t giving it back.She’d stashed it in there on purpose.He couldn’t wait to think of her while he didwhatever.“If you prefer, I can go first and tell you the details.”
“I have a better idea,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.“You can stick that soap where the sun don’t shine and shut up about it.”
He threw back his head and laughed.She delivered the line like a native Texan would, all sweetness and sass.Instead of responding in kind, he let her have the last word.When she turned on her heel and left, he followed her to the doorway.He didn’t try to stop her, though he wanted her to stay.
“Let me know about Saturday,” he said.
“Are you serious about the picnic?”she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it just a ploy to get me in bed?”
“No.”
“You won’t expect…”
“No.”
