“Oh shit!Right.I totally forgot that Brooke Barker is like a super Hollywood star, probably worth millions.”
She smothered her smile with a piece of cheese.“At least.She’s in heavy talks with some directors and producers about a movie and book deal about her life.”
“Wow.”
“Like the rest of us, her story is pretty crazy.However,unlikethe rest of us, she’s okay letting the world know all the dirty, sordid details of her past.Even though I’m not ashamed of what happened to me, because I was a victim, the idea of having it turned into a book or movie and the whole world finding out just makes my skin feel like fire ants are doing the cha-cha on it.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure there are enough zeroes you could put behind a number on a check that would convince me to sign off on a book or movie about my life either.”I let out a long, slow sigh and stared up at the cloudless sky.It was a watercolor mix of pinks, purples, yellows, and oranges.“I know they say overcoming adversity creates strong adults, but I sincerely hope my kid never has to go through the kind of shit I did to become a strong person.”
“She’s already ridiculously strong, Lennox.You have nothing to worry about.But I understand where you’re coming from.I’ve already vowed to never let what happened to me happen to my kids.I’d kill the man before I let Honor’s partner hurt her.”She glanced at me.“Austin’s too.”
The fire in her eyes told me she wasn’t joking and made me think back to the wolfsbane growing behind the barn.Did she kill her husband?Was that part of the reason she had no interest in pursuing a book or movie deal for her life?Because it could dredge up parts of her past that would paint her in a less than heroic light?
I made a little cracker sandwich with some salami, cheese, and a grape, then popped it into my mouth.With a twinkle in her eye, she watched me struggle to get it into my mouth and chew the oversized bite.
“Took a little bit too much?”she asked, chuckling.
I shook my head.“I’m fine.”
That made her chortle.“Sure.”
She sipped her wine and snuggled deep into the cozy nest I’d made for us.“This is a really great date.Thank you.”
I swallowed the enormous glob down my throat, wincing slightly, then taking a sip of my wine to wash it all down.“I owed this to you at the least.You were—are—so good with Mabel.And I want to do this properly.”
“Do what?”
“Date you.Court you.Woo you.”
Amusement flickered across her face.“Are you wooing me?”
“I’m trying.”
“Then where the hell’s my sonnet?My rhyming couplet and iambic pentameter.How come you haven’t compared me to a summer’s day yet?Isn’t that a big part of the wooing?Sweet nothings and cryptic words from the heart.”Her full lips curled into a wide smile.“I’ve yet to see you drape your coat across a puddle for me, good sir.”
All I could do at this point was wrap my hand around the back of her neck and pull her in for a kiss.She opened her mouth for me willingly and cupped my jaw, her thumb rhythmically rubbing my cheek as I deepened the kiss.
Groaning, I tore my mouth away from hers and moved the containers of food out from between us.Then I pushed her onto her back and covered her body, taking her mouth again and helping her recline into the bed of the truck.
Her legs parted so I could settle between them, and I was sure she felt my erection against her inner thigh, but she didn’t seem to mind.I found the fingers of her left hand and laced the fingers of my right hand through them, pinning her beneath me and plunging my tongue between her lips.She twirled her tongue around mine and rocked her hips into me.
I paused.
Froze, actually.
I lifted my face away from hers, staring down into her jade-green eyes.My throat was tight—so were my pants.
“What’s wrong?”she asked, blinking up at me.
Rolling off her, I collapsed onto my back and sighed.“I really like you.”
“I can tell …”
That made me cover my lap with my hands.
“I’m not upset about that, just so you know.It’s perfectly normal … and if I’m being honest, gives me a bit of an ego boost that I canexciteyou that easily.”She reached for one of my hands that I had covering my jeans, but she didn’t place it over my lap; she laced her fingers through mine and brought our hands down between us.“I’m also okay going slow.I just … you came in with that kiss and pushed me to my back.I was just following your lead.”
“I know,” I said on a big exhale.“This is all really new to me.And I hate that it’s new.I’m twenty-six-year’s old.I’ve been sexually active for over half my life, and yet—”
