“Yum.” She ran her tongue over her lips, noticing his eyes followed the movement. She obviously had the power to attract him, and they’d already made the bargain to act on that attraction. Slow and easy.
Did she have the nerve to move up the timetable? Heaven knows, she desired more than food and conversation with this man. His kisses had been just a prelude. She wanted much more.
He pulled his gaze from her lips, but his jaw clenched and his eyes stayed glued to hers, desire in the molten depths. If he kept looking at her that way, they’d never make it out for dessert. But the whole Peppermint Park thing seemed to mean something to him, and the idea of indulging in the creamy dessert held a long-forgotten appeal.
“You know, ice cream sorta fell into the category of pizza. If we had extra, we bought some, but generally we reserved it for special occasions. Birthdays, Marc’s graduations, things like that.” She shook her head, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make my life sound like some poor me tale. Believe me when I tell you, all things considered, we had it good.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Nobody in their right mind would feel sorry for you. But I am glad to know I picked right.” He cleared his throat, and this time she sensed his embarrassment. “I wanted to take you someplace you’d remember. Someplace special.”
Good thing she had already acknowledged that she could fall hard for him and had barriers up to prevent it. Otherwise his concerned expression and tender, generous gesture would definitely steal her heart. She tried not to listen to the voice
in her head laughing hysterically at her pathetic attempt to conceal her growing feelings for Jake Lowell.
JAKE SAT on a wooden bench beneath a huge awning, Brianne by his side and Norton at her feet. She’d insisted on giving him an airing, and while she was at it, Jake taught her how to get Norton to “do business” quickly and efficiently. She was impressed by Norton’s abilities and obviously pleased Jake had agreed to take the pooch along.
Seeing how happy he could make Brianne—and his sister’s dog, he thought wryly—gave him a warm feeling he hadn’t had in far too long. He glanced at Brianne. Vanilla fudge ice cream dripped over the sides of her cone, and her little tongue darted out to catch the remains.
Like the photograph. Two lovers sharing something intimate, something more than just an ice-cream treat. Brianne was unknowingly reenacting the erotic photo. Only, she wasn’t an anonymous face. She wasn’t just his fantasy. She was his. Every night for the long, hot summer. He’d already tasted her, knew how her silken mouth and soft lips responded to his.
His fists clenched at his sides as he restrained from acting on his desire. Not now, not yet. He bit hard into his own chocolate-chip scoop and sugar cone, but the sweet dessert didn’t provide the kind of satisfaction he had in mind.
“Can I ask you something?”
Brianne’s voice was a welcome intrusion. “Sure.”
“Well, it’s more of a professional question and it’s kind of silly, but I was wondering how you know whether you’re being followed.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she stared at her cone. “See, I told you it was silly.”
She was more uneasy than embarrassed, and Jake knew she’d been serious. Seconds ago, he’d thought nothing could distract him from thoughts of making love to her, but she’d managed. “What makes you ask?”
She shrugged. “I was shopping today and I saw a man looking at me.”
“Honey, you’re beautiful. Men are going to look.”
“Thank you.” She blushed again. Her gaze met his and lingered, the electricity between them steady and hot, causing a pulsing throughout his body that he couldn’t deny.
“But this guy was different,” she said, bringing them back to the issue at hand. “I mean, it felt different. I was on Fifth Avenue and he didn’t look like your average guy in a business suit during lunch hour. He had this crewcut and leering gaze. And I saw him again. Well, I thought I did, through the window of a coffee shop. And then I blinked and he was gone. And I thought…” She paused, obviously thinking things through.
The ice cream had begun to melt over the cone and dampen the napkin surrounding it. All erotic thoughts gone for the moment, he eased the ice cream out of her hand and dumped their messy cones into the trash next to the bench. “You thought what?”
“That it was happening again.” She began twisting her fingers together, and he stilled the nervous movement by covering her hands with his. She shot him a grateful glance.
“You thought what was happening again?”
“When my parents died, I had a hard time.” She shook her head. “Actually, it started before that. My parents weren’t what you’d call stay-at-home parents. My dad was a stockbroker and he’d done fairly well in some good markets. He had savings, and since they liked to live on the edge, their money went for extreme sports—hot-air ballooning, bungee jumping, motorcycle trips. Good thing the neighbors liked us because we spent a lot of time sleeping at their homes, and my parents weren’t reliable about when they’d return. Sometimes I thought they wouldn’t come back at all. That’s when it started.”
Jake wasn’t sure where she was going with her story but he wanted to hear more. This was the insight he craved and he wanted to listen as well as to help. “When what started?” he asked.
“Anxiety attacks. I swear, I was such a nervous kid.”
He squeezed her hand tight. “Understandable, I’d think. And you must have overcome it well because I’d never have known if you hadn’t told me.”
“Well, I was lucky I had a good school psychologist, and when I got older I learned stress management techniques. Things quieted down for a long time, acted up again after the accident. Maybe because they had to. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when life forces you to grow up quick.”
“What accident?”
She frowned, making him want to touch her face, stroke and smooth out the wrinkled skin and then kiss her puckered lips. But he refrained, knowing he would have time later on. For now, he needed her to continue.
“I told you I raised my brother, right? Because my parents died in a small plane crash. Dad was piloting.”