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“You okay? You’ve gotten quiet.”
Rubbing her palm over her thigh, she exhaled. “Where are we going?”
“Movie.”
She’d just mouthed the word when his large hand settled over hers, lacing their fingers. His thumb rubbed her skin and she tried not to fall apart. All his touch did was make her want to beg for more.
“Unless you want me to take you home.”
Emma couldn’t get words to work and it wasn’t until she realized he’d pulled his truck off the road and put them in park that she was quite possibly panicking.
“Emma.” His tone was low, soothing but commanding. “Look at me.”
She complied.
“Good girl,” he praised, squeezing the hand still intertwined with his. “Are you okay? If you don’t want to go to the movie, I can take you home.”
Heat pounded into her cheeks, making her grateful it was dark inside the truck.
“I’m…okay.”
She figured he would make a joke and that would be it. He didn’t. Linc didn’t move. Not closer, not farther away. He just looked at her, studying and assessing.
“Deep breaths. Take your time, we have all night.”
“What about the movie?” God, she’d had such a fantastic time until she ruined it by freaking out.
“Freckles, I don’t give a damn about that. I’m worried about you. And we’re not moving until you convince me you’re doing okay. After you do that, if you still want to go to the movie, we will. You want me to take you home, I’ll do that too.”
She couldn’t taste anything but honesty in his words.
“Freckles?” He’d called her this before and she’d not asked him why then.
He leaned closer and lifted their joined hands so he could brush his lips over the back of hers.
“As in, I can’t wait to figure out how many you have all over.”
The moan escaped and she didn’t even try to pretend it didn’t happen.
“Movie.” Her voice was higher than normal as she squeaked out that one word.
Another graze of his lips over her skin. “As my lady wants.”
Straight No Chaser played as he drove and when she realized he’d taken her to the old drive-in theater, she gasped.
“You brought me to Benny’s Drive-In.” She slid to the edge of her seat, teeth sinking into her lower lip.
Taking a row in the rear, he did some quick maneuvering and backed the truck up. “Come on.”
She’d just climbed down from the cab when he was pulling her to the back of the truck. Linc lifted her up and in the dimming lights of the drive-in, she saw he had a nice spot set up—blankets and pillows along with a basket.
I hadn’t even noticed this when we were at the bowling alley. Emma crawled up until she was on the soft pile of blankets and looked at him. The man was staring at her ass like he longed to take a bite.
“Linc?”
“Coming.” He made jumping up in the bed look so easy.
They got settled and he opened the basket, letting her see the snacks inside. When the movie started, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her close to his side.
“Field of Dreams?”
He held some popcorn in front of her mouth. “Shh, it’s a classic.”
Emma didn’t care what played. She was cuddling in the back of a truck on a bed of blankets and pillows with the one man she’d had a crush on since she was a little girl. Allowing him to feed her some popcorn, she stifled the yawn that snuck up on her and did her best to enjoy the movie.
Chapter Ten
He had a wet spot on his shirt, right over his heart from where Emma had drooled on him. Linc didn’t care. She’d lasted about thirty minutes into the movie when he realized she’d crashed.
Could he have woken her and gotten her home? Sure. Did he? Fuck no.
What he did do was rearrange her so she was settled between his legs, head on his chest, with one of the blankets pulled over her to keep her warm. Slight snores escaped her as she slumbered against him. He knew she didn’t get the best sleep, single parents rarely did and he was fine sitting here holding her while she dozed.
Was it how he’d expected the night to go? Not at all. But she was in his arms, so he would take it and count it as a fucking win. When the wind picked up, she shivered and burrowed deeper into his embrace. He made sure she was well covered by the thick blanket. As he stared at Kevin Costner on the screen and held his fiancée—real or fake it didn’t matter, she was his—Linc thought about everything.
In his periphery, a tall figure cut through the few cars, making his way to where he’d parked. Mitchell.
The ex-basketball player gave a chin jut in welcome as he rested his arms on the bedrail.
