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13
True to her word, Lydia drove to Captain Burger, though she started to panic when she realized she had to pull into the crowded lot.
He’d smiled gently, and suggested she stop in the entrance and they’d swap seats.
When they picked up their order of burgers and fries from the window, he’d driven them along the cliff road overlooking the Silver Sands Resort, parking on the deserted grassy knoll.
“I don’t want to give you the wrong impression,” he said, grabbing the bags of food and climbing out of the car. “But when I was a kid this was the popular make out spot.” He looked around. “Not that you’d know it now,” he said, surprised at how deserted the place was. “I wonder where all the teenagers make out nowadays.”
“They probably do it online. Maybe they make avatars and do it on Fortnite.”
He laughed and opened her door. “That’s a shame. Because it has an amazing view.” They walked over to the cliff edge. Lydia’s eyes widened as she saw the Silver Sands Resort sprawled beneath them, and to the left the twinkling lights of Angel Sands itself. “Over there was where we used to go cliff jumping,” he said, pointing at a piece of the cliff jutting into the ocean. “When we were young and foolish.”
“Last year then?” She lifted a brow, following the direction of his finger.
“Something like that.” He inclined his head at the cliff edge. “We can eat there, unless you don’t like heights.”
“Are you kidding? I love heights. They always give you the best views.” She grabbed his free hand and started walking. “The ocean is so pretty at night. And quiet, too,” she added as they sat on the grass. “You could almost believe we’re all alone out here. Views like this always take my breath away.”
“What’s your favorite view?”
She pressed her lips together, thinking. “I don’t know. I mean, the Grand Canyon’s pretty spectacular, but who hasn’t seen that? And it’s hard to beat the Victoria Falls. They’re a bit like Niagara on Viagra.” She waggled her eyebrows and he bit down a grin at her pun.
“I guess my favorite has to be Preikestolen in Norway. It’s like this big rugged cliff that juts out into the fjord. When you stand there looking out at the mountains and rocks surrounding it, and at the mist rising up from the water, you could almost be back in prehistoric times.” She reached for a blade of grass, pulling it from the ground and twisting it between her fingers. “If a dinosaur had walked along at that moment, I wouldn’t have been surprised.”
“You make it sound amazing,” Jackson said softly. “I’d love to see it.”
She lifted her gaze. There was something lazily seductive about the way he was staring at her.
“I’d like to take you,” she admitted. He’d make the perfect travel companion. Easy, fun, and so damn good to look at.
He handed her one of the wrapped burgers, his fingers brushing hers. A delicious pulse of electricity shot up her arm.
Suddenly she didn’t feel hungry at all. Not for food, anyway.
For a moment neither of them said a word. Her mouth felt dry, her chest tight, and she couldn’t pull her gaze away even if she wanted to.
“You should eat,” Jackson said, his voice thick.
Lydia nodded, unwrapping the burger. The bun was thick and soft, lettuce and tomato at the top. She lifted it to her mouth, managing a nibble before her stomach contracted in mutiny.
She put the burger back in its wrapper. “I’m sorry. I’m just not hungry.”
Jackson tipped his head. “I should have asked what you wanted to eat, instead of assuming. I guess burgers taste pretty average when you’ve eaten all over the world.”
“You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve longed for a real burger while I’ve been traveling,” Lydia admitted. “I love trying new food, and eating what the locals eat, but sometimes the lure of a patty can’t be ignored.”
“So why can’t you eat it now?” he asked. Even his voice sent a shiver down her spine. What the hell was wrong with her? She felt like some kind of giddy teenager, something she’d never been even when she was younger. Yet sitting here with Jackson Lewis was sending her body into a spin.
It was a delicious, exhilarating, nauseating ride.
She looked up at him through thick eyelashes. “It’s your fault,” she admitted. “You’re making my stomach flip.”
He stared at her curiously and put down his burger, gesturing for her to come closer. She scooted over, and he pulled her onto his lap, her back against his chest.
Flipping her hair over one shoulder, he brushed his lips against her neck. “Does that help?” he murmured softly.
That brief touch made her shiver. “Not really.”
