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“Fantastic,” he chuckled. “I’m starving, and I picked up an amazing tray of food to snack on. Do you like strawberries?”
“I’m allergic,” she replied automatically – and saw his face fall immediately as he looked at her in surprise.
“Gotcha,” she crowed softly, smiling at him. “Two can play this mental game, Ian.”
Instead of getting upset or laughing, he gave her a look with an expression that made her toes curl at the intensity in his eyes. He held out his hand towards her, helping her up from where she was kneeling… and walked her over to the picnic blanket.
June allowed him to assist her as she knelt, her skirt fluffing around her with the layered slip, tucking her feet under her as she kicked off her heels. She set Gigi down – who automatically climbed back onto her lap, letting out a small yip and licking her hand.
Ian lay on his side on the opposite side of the cellophane tray between them, propping his head on his hand as he gazed at her.
“Shall we begin, my sweet Minx?”
… And June swallowed, because she wasn’t sure he was talking about the game of questions anymore. Taking a deep breath, she desperately searched for anything to lighten the tension between them as she unfolded the paper, recognizing her hands were trembling.
“Are you nervous?”
“I have zero to be nervous about,” she quipped confidently in a lofty tone that made him chuckle easily – and without skipping a beat, he lifted up his torso by clenching his abdomen to pull the lid off the tray, before leaning back down and relaxing once more.
She gulped audibly.
His drab green t-shirt did nothing to hide the fact that something exceedingly nice clenched and tightened, forming a nice muscular ridge along his abdominal wall and oblique muscles… only to see his eyes meet hers.
“See something you like…?” he murmured, as his lips twitched. “On the tray, of course.”
“You’re annoying.”
“I am,” he said simply, not looking away.
“Women do not like annoying men.”
“You should tell me what womendolike then…” he invited, and her brows pinched together, knowing he’d cornered her.
Back up, retreat, and then forge ahead again, dummy…she thought to herself as she looked at the paper, clearing her throat. “Question number one – Where are you from?”
“The planet Earth,” he replied easily – and she wadded up the paper into her lap in sheer frustration before hearing his merry laugh. “I’m kidding. I’m sorry. It was just too easy, and you should have seen your face. I’m from Skokie, Illinois… just outside of Chicago. My parents relocated to Gray’s Lake after they retired, and my brothers are still dotted around the area in different places – Kenosha, Gurnee, Waukegan, and I’m now residing on base in Ghazni, Afghanistan… And you?”
“What do you mean ‘me’? We’re here.”
“Did you grow up here? Is this your childhood home?”
“Oh,” she replied and hesitated. “I grew up on the north side of Tyler, and my parents still live there. I moved out to the southwest side when I married Mark. We had a nice, fancy apartment… but when he died,” she drew in a breath.
“You needed to make a change,” he said quietly – and she nodded. “Any other family in the area?”
“No, but I was going to ask you if the Air Force base is close to you?”
“Next door. Why?”
“My older brother is stationed out there. He’s a pilot.”
“Interesting,” Ian replied. “They usually keep us pretty separated, so I probably don’t know him – but if you wanted me to take something back to him when I leave? I would be more than happy to find a way to get it to him.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised, and petted Gigi to keep from reaching over to move a lock of blond hair off his forehead.
“Of course. That’s what a friend, or amazing boyfriend, would do.”
“…And you had to ruin it,” she retorted, hearing his laugh again and marveling at it. He really didn’t mind her smart mouth at all. “Next question. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
