“Are you going to be Albany Keyes of Keyes Investigations all night?”
“What?” I laughed. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No.” He leaned closer. “I’d really like tohavefunwithyou.”
A blush worked its way up my neck, and I averted my gaze. “Where have you been?” I ate some macaroni salad and groaned. “Before you answer that, remind me to grab a plate to go. Or two. This food is so good.”
“I got you.”
“Well?” I pressed.
“You said you needed space,” he answered. “I was giving it to you.”
“You took that literally, huh?”
He barked out a laugh and my heart cracked open. I loved the sound of his laughter. He didn’t do it much, but when he did, it was glorious. “I wanted to respect your boundaries.”
“Thank you for that.” I searched his eyes. “I appreciate it.”
“You know I’ll do anything for you.”
“I believe that.”
“I have to admit, though”—he took the plate off my lap and set it on the table next to him—“it was hard.” He tugged my chair forward, closer to him.
Swallowing, I whispered, “Why?”
“Because I missed you.”
My heart soared at his admission, and I ached to touch him. “You’re good. Different, but the same.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s not bad.” I bit down on my lip. His eyes followed the movement. “We’re in public.”
“We are,” he agreed.
“And we should probably have a talk.”
“You know what else? Your mouth is so perfect, so ready to be kissed.”
Damn. “Again, we’re in public and we should discuss some things.”
“Like?”
“The space and time issue.”
“Okay?”
“So, I thought about it and if you’re open to taking it slow, I—”
He brushed the corner of my mouth with his thumb, and I gasped. “You have a little potato salad there.”
“Oh God.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Did I really? That’s so … I’m mortified.”
“Just kidding.” He chuckled. “I just wanted an excuse to touch you.”
“You don’t need one,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
