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“Doing my best,” Aaron said, and left the precinct.
Dani was both excited and anxious.
She had a date, and she had expectations but didn’t know if she and Aaron were on the same page. Growing up, she’d always loved surprises, but after all she’d been through, uncertainty meantunsafe, and she’d dumped a lot of trouble into Aaron Pope’s lap without really knowing the man.
However, after the last three days, she knew enough. She knew he hadn’t taken advantage of her. She knew he’d kept his word. And she knew yesterday when he’d kissed her goodbye that she didn’t want to see him go. The fact that he wanted to see her again was a small miracle. Even after all he knew about her, after all the danger her trouble had put him in, he wanted to see her again. It felt like high school all over again, waiting for her date for the prom, only better.
Aaron wasn’t sixteen, didn’t have acne, and wasn’t driving his mother’s green Pinto. And when he kissed her, their teeth didn’t bump, and he knew where to put his hands. Not all over her, like her prom date. But gently, and in the right spots. She knew they were going out to eat. After that was anybody’s guess.
Chapter 14
Aaron changed clothes at the police station before leaving to gas up his SUV, then he swung by the ATM where he banked, made a quick stop at a flower shop for a mixed bouquet of flowers, then headed to her house.
After her phone call last night, he’d thought about her all day and what kissing her had felt like.
Like coming home.
And that was scary.
He’d fallen too hard, too fast, and was so damn scared of losing her he couldn’t think straight. Tonight had to be about setting boundaries, and she had to be the one to call the shots. What he wanted was obvious. He wanted her. But it was what she wanted that had to matter first.
His pulse kicked with anticipation as he took the turn into the housing addition, pulled into her drive, and got out with the flowers. He had a key, but he wasn’t taking anything for granted and rang the doorbell instead.
The simple act of dressing for a date had Dani anticipating the evening. She was wearing her favorite summer dress made of a cotton-blend fabric with a floral design in shades of blue and green on a white background, and green ballerina flats for easy walking, and had let her hair dry into curls.
The finishing touches were small gold hoops in her ears and the necklace her parents gave her when she graduated college—a single pearl on a gold chain resting just above the crevice between her breasts.
She sat down to wait, but not for long. Minutes later, her doorbell rang.
He’s here!
She made herself walk, not run, but when she opened the door, the first thought in her mind bordered on lust. Black hair, dark eyes, that olive cast to his skin, and in his dark jeans and white shirt, he was looking too hot to handle and he came bearing flowers.
“For you,” he said.
She smiled. “They’re beautiful. Come in.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said, and shut the door behind him.
“You talk as pretty as you look,” she said. “Have a seat. I need to put these in water before we go.”
She left the room, but Aaron didn’t sit. And when she came back, he was still standing in the same place, waiting to see if she looked as gorgeous coming toward him as she had walking away.
He sighed. She’d scored a ten without trying.
“Are you ready?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been ready for this moment all day,” and took the hand he offered as they walked out of the house together.
Moments later they were backing out of the drive and headed into town. It was so normal and so wonderful to be going on a date with Aaron Pope that it almost felt like a dream. Dani kept glancing at his profile and then looking away, and knew he was aware of it. So, she blurted out the first thing she could think of to explain herself. Even if it was a lie.
“Looks like the cut on your head is healing. Does it still hurt?” she asked.
“Not a bit. You’re a good doctor,” he said. “I have a reservation at The Back Porch. Have you eaten there yet?”
“No, but I love to try new places,” she said.
“It will be crowded, but so is every place in Jubilee at mealtimes. It’s good, and that’s what matters. Afterward, if you’re not too tired, I thought we might drop by Trapper’s Bar and Grill. I’ve seen you dancing around the kitchen, and they have a live band and a good-size dance floor.”
