“I’m going—” The doorbell interrupted her. “Out,” she finished.
Brayden beat her to the door, leaning forward to peer through the security peephole. Easing up, he opened the door to Trent. Neither man was surprised to see the other and sherealized they must’ve been in communication. All she could do was lean into it.
“Hey! I’m all set.” With a wobbly smile, she dipped her chin toward the items near the door. Though she tried to play it cool, her nerves had to be obvious to both men. Part of it was the situation. Most of it was just being around Trent.
“Great.” He picked up her overnight bag and turned to Brayden. “You’re good here?”
Getting a nod, he touched his hand to Natalie’s back. “Then I’ll keep you posted.”
She paused on the porch to hug Brayden. “Thank you. It helps to know you’re out here.”
“Always, Nat.”
She had a thousand questions as Trent drove back to the Hideaway. All of them felt foolish or naive, so she kept them to herself. If Trent had news, he’d volunteer it when he was ready.
“Did you have a good day?” he asked.
“More productive than expected.” She sighed. “Roni will be mad though.”
“Why?”
“I used her paperclips and forgot to put them back.” Trent laughed, the sound dulling the sharp edges of nerves and worry. “My sisters will be okay, right?”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Absolutely.”
Natalie took a deep breath. “Thanks for that. How was your day?”
“Not as complete as I’d hoped for. The research team is doing their thing,” he added. “It’s just a matter of time.”
This was her first official date with Trent, although neither of them had actually called it that. She didn’t want anything to overshadow the moment. Her mind replayed their first kiss on the boardwalk again. It had been like that all day long. The way he’d held her. The way she’d breathed him in, his scent weavingaround her. Every moment near him deepened her fascination and she was looking forward to more kisses around the fire tonight.
The intensity of her feelings made it hard to focus and left her off balance. The tantalizing physical attraction was easier to accept and understand. The mystery was how Trent slipped right past her defenses and straight to her heart. It was too reminiscent of that dizzying infatuation for one cute guy after another as a teenager. And uncomfortably similar to when she’d fallen for every line Jackson fed her as he steamrolled through her life, crushing her romantic dreams and irrevocably changing her outlook.
Abruptly, she shoved aside those thoughts.
She wouldn’t dwell on Jackson while sitting beside Trent. The only similarity was the brief acquaintance before her feelings took root. The men couldn’t be more different. And after the shock and pain of her failed marriage, she was different too. No longer that naive kid, she’d grown beyond her disastrous love-blind decisions.
Tonight, despite everything else, she would have time to discover what it was about Trent that drew her in. Time to explore the x-factor that made her want to spend every available minute with him.
“Here we are,” he said, turning into the driveway. He eyed the bag between her feet. “If you wanted something particular tonight, I could’ve shopped for you.”
“You had other things to do,” she said. “Besides, I needed to be proactive about something.” She lifted the bag and held it open. “S’mores supplies for dessert.”
He glanced at the contents, then his gaze lifted to meet hers. “You are clearly a dessert-first person.”
She might’ve argued except the gleam in his eyes was so sexy and tempting it scrambled her thoughts. And his smile… Well, she was glad to be sitting down.
“At least for tonight,” she teased. “Being Veronica’s sister, lessons on nutrition, balance, yada yada, have been impossible to ignore. Do I appreciate my veggies? Yes. Do I believe in the power of sugar? Also yes.”
Laughing, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned across the console. “Can I kiss you hello? Now that we have some privacy.”
“Only if I can kiss you back.” She closed the distance, lifting a hand to his jaw. When his lips touched hers, she found the fire she’d been craving since their last kiss. The blaze was warm and sweet, intensifying with every heartbeat. Truly, she deserved a medal for not jumping him last night in the bedroom.
He eased back slowly, looking as reluctant as she felt. “Hello,” she murmured, licking the taste of him from her lips.
“Hi.”
Neither one of them seemed eager to move. She waited, unwilling to rush anything about their time together.
