His smile that charmed me grew bigger. At different times tonight, I noticed different things about him. Right now, he looked like the after shot of Captain America. He was beautiful with the way his hair swept off his forehead and his strong jaw highlighted his wide plump lips. I liked his smile a lot.
“I get the impression you’re older than you said.”
The musical cadence of Dash’s laughter made me want to kiss him like I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone before. I watched his mouth move as he explained a question I didn’t ask. “I’ll really be sixteen on July fourth. You already know that part, but I’ll graduate from high school in December.”
Since his lips were the perfect blend of fleshy and plump, it was hard to concentrate on his words. Luckily, I caught the tail end of his explanation. “Explain further.”
“I have a high IQ. I skipped a grade in elementary then tested out of other classes. I’ll graduate in December with my associate degree. My plan is to take a gap year then start at SMU in the fall.” His finger twirled in a circle that I took to mean time passing. “I’ve already been accepted.” His gaze danced as he rolled his eyes dramatically. “I could have skipped more grades, but I didn’t want to rush my life. I felt like I needed to stay in my age range even though I’ve never really acted my age. It made sense to me at the time.”
Dash clearly thought his explanation was silly, grinning and laughing, but I didn’t see it that way. A million questions ranthrough my head. Did he make those decisions about his future, or did his parents? It all seemed so reasonable and mature.
“Who do you get your intelligence from?” I asked, not readily diving deeper until I knew more.
Dash’s surprised gaze landed back on mine. “No one’s ever asked me that question before. I’m not a hundred percent sure. I’d guess my father’s side of the family. They’re all successful for generations back. But my motivation’s different from the rest of my siblings. Right now, my goals are pretty simple. I want to practice law at a big firm. Get some experience and clients under my belt then go out on my own. I want to work on pro bono cases to help those in need, but I understand I’ll need capital to make it happen.The rest of my family works for my father’s company. All of them do. They had me later in life. I’m the tenth one—it’s the meaning of my name. Dasham means ten.”
“Mmm. I’ve only ever been an only child. I don’t know what it’s like to have brothers and sisters.”
Dash’s goals and family dynamic fascinated me.
“So if you’re too young when you graduate law school then no agency would hire you, right?”
“Absolutely not answering. It’s your turn to answer a question,” he stated firmly. “What do you like to do for fun?”
“I like to fish a whole lot. It’s quiet, and I like the quiet. I think I’d like to have a job. I work any chance I get, and I like the idea of having my own money in my pocket,” I said, saying things that I’d never said to anyone before. “But jobs around here are hard to come by.”
“My dad has a deep-sea charter fishing service connected to the resort. I bet I can get you a job doing something with them,” Dash offered. “They’re having a hard time finding locals who want to work.”
I was instantly intrigued, and at the same time, I could hear my grandmother’s strong disapproval. She’d be mad at me forsiding with the enemy. Dash barked out a laugh at whatever he saw cross my face.
“I get it. If anyone found out, you’d be public enemy number one but think about it. I’m sure I could get you hired.”
“So do you really work as a lifeguard?” I asked.
His frown caused me to laugh. “Yeah. I’m surprised more people haven’t drowned.”
“That’s why you’re so tan. I bet the girls go nuts over you.”
That sent Dash into a low groan. It probably wasn’t meant to entice but it did. All the fluttering in my belly took flight inside me again. Unfortunately, the alarm on his watch beeped, alerting us of the five-minute mark before I was due home.
“Dammit,” he muttered and worked the controls on his watch. “This is the best time I’ve had in a long time. It flew by.”
Of course, I agreed. I turned my head and stared out the front window. From where we were parked, I could sprint across the open field and be home ina couple of minutes.
“Thank you for bringing me home,” I said and let that be enough as I reached for the door handle.
“I had a good time.” Dash’s captivating smile happened again, stopping me from opening the door. He rolled his eyes at something unknown, followed by a frustrated sigh.
“What?” I asked.
His lips mashed together as he reached for his phone in the center console. “What’s your phone number?”
“I don’t actually know,” I answered honestly. It never occurred to me to learn my number because of caller ID.
“Give me your phone.” Dash didn’t hesitate to grab it before I had a chance to extend my hand. His thumbs raced over the number pad until his phone rang. He made sure the number was there before handing it back to me.
“I’ll drive you around.” He righted himself in the seat and reached for the key to start the engine. Automatically, my handreached out to stop him before the car’s lights drew attention to us.
The touch made my heart begin its version of the electric slide, all happy and cozy. He paused and didn’t move his hand out from underneath mine. I couldn’t get my hand to budge either.
