“What do you mean, then?” He clasped her hand in a firmer grip, stroking up to her elbow and then back over the tops of her fingers.
Her throat moved in a low swallow, her chest rising and falling a hint faster. “You’ve devoted your life to making other people feel safe. That’s admirable.”
He didn’t want her to have any misconceptions about the kind of man he was.
“You’re overthinking things.”
“Or else I’m observant, like you,” she said firmly, meeting his gaze steadfastly. Unflinchingly.
Damn, she was amazing. And he wanted her more than... He couldn’t remember when he’d been this hungry.
“Well, you can believe whatever you want if it gets me back to kissing you and closer to second base.” He gave her his best Boy Scout smile—ironic really, since he’d never been anything close to a Boy Scout. “Are you ready to go drive around the city and find a scenic mesa perfect for parking?”
* * *
Before Natalie could gather her thoughts for a witty answer—and will her jittery nerves to settle—a clearing throat interrupted them.
Natalie glanced over her shoulder to find Sheriff Nathan Battle standing alongside Gabe Walsh, who also happened to have some hefty PI skills that proved helpful with the Royal Police Department on occasion.
“Hope you don’t mind if I interrupt your dinner for a moment.” The sheriff stood just behind her, his dark brown eyes narrowed, full of intent. The poster child of a man on a mission.
Not that Natalie found any of this surprising. Sheriff Battle, a kind man who’d poured his life into the community, always had a way of strengthening connections in seemingly strange settings. He was devoted to his community in a way that Natalie deeply appreciated, particularly in the wake of the recent cyberattacks by the maverick character.
“Evening, Max. Natalie.” Nathan gave them both a curt nod as he approached the table, eyes resting on Max as hard lines formed in his brow. Worry.
Gabe’s eyes showed the same concern, although he stayed silent and nodded in greeting.
Natalie noticed Nathan’s wife, Amanda, a few tables away, talking on her cell phone, pen and pad in hand. Multitasking. It must be a trait they shared.
Max pushed back his chair and stood to shake hands with Nathan. “Hello, Sheriff. Gabe. What brings you two to our little table?”
Nathan began, “After we spoke yesterday, I had a thought about...”
The conversation launched into cybertech talk that soon turned into mostly a droning blend in Natalie’s ears. Her thoughts fell far from the conversation at hand. Instead, she found herself openly surveying Max, and noticed the way the dim light illuminated his dark features. Could shadows really make a man hotter?
An awareness in her stomach—something like butterflies on steroids—answered an unequivocal yes.
Suddenly hungry again, she scooped into the dessert, letting the cooling sensation of the huckleberry sorbet ground her. The bite allowed her a pause—a second of reflection and distraction as she appreciated the fruit and chocolate flavors.
This had been a helluva night.
Natalie had known Max was charming. But he hadn’t seemed real. But after tonight, the narrative offered to her... Well, resisting him seemed more difficult. The rawness and pain in his voice had taken him from being an untouchable sexy data analyst to a human.
What in the world was she going to do with their deep discussion? Did it change anything about her situation at home, her responsibilities...her past? And even on a somewhat lighter note, how did she feel about going “parking”?
“We should arrange for...” Max’s voice called her back to the present.
She blinked as Nathan’s warm brown eyes reflected excitement.
Max angled forward and planted his hand on the table as he became more invested in the case planning. His fingers brushed hers, so close were their hands on the tablecloth. Jolts of electricity spiked through her bloodstream as she thought about the possibility of parking with Max; carefree, romantic, sensual. The drumroll thought of his body touching hers, of his lips... Anticipation blossomed in her chest.
Scooping into the dessert again, Natalie became aware of another sensation rising in her chest. The unmistakable mark of apprehension twined with her previous desire to go for it. Throw caution to the wind if even for a brief time.
It had been a while since she was intimate with a man—well over a year now, given how long her husband had been deployed even before he died. That wasn’t quite the total issue, though.
Conversation—deep conversation—had fallen away long before Jeremy had died. True, their marriage had been in trouble. Rocky times were to be expected. Silence had become the language they spoke. Increasingly withdrawn, Natalie had started to feel like she and her now-deceased husband had occupied different temporalities that never seemed to sync up.
Yet somehow tonight, she was reminded of what it was like to be in the same moment. To share. In her gut, Natalie knew the comparison of one date to years of comfortable routine in a marriage was not fair. Not even close.