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Del drew in a quick breath, her hands tightening their grip on his hips. She turned her face toward his and whispered, “That makes two of us. Now help me get the food inside before you see my hangry side.”
She gave his lips a playful nip, then pushed him away on a laugh. Though the last thing he wanted to do was let go, Isaac wasn’t sure he was ready to tangle with her hangry side. So instead, he stayed back to receive the items she withdrew from her truck’s cab: one large pizza box, a full plastic carryout bag, and a twelve pack of Landshark.
He looked from the beverages to Delaney, who offered him a shrug and coy smile.
“It’s part of my usual Friday routine,” she said. “There’s fresh limes in the bag, too.”
Isaac nearly dropped to one knee. Where had this woman been his whole life?
The pizza turned out to be amazing, the cheesy garlic bread divine, and the beers smooth and cold. But it was the company he enjoyed most. Louie was thrilled to have her here, too; he hadn’t let Del get more than half a rump away from him since her arrival.
“You ready to see the progress I’ve made on the website?” he asked after they’d polished off the last of the garlic bread.
“Nah, I think we’ve both worked hard this week and deserve a break for tonight. Besides, we’ve got all weekend.”
All weekend. Isaac liked the sound of that. His gaze shifted to her lips. “Did you have something else in mind?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She drained the last of her beer and reached for a second. “I wanna go outside and catch the sunset with you and Louie.”
Isaac shrugged and drained his drink as well. “Sounds good to me. Best view of that is in the backyard.”
Restocked on beverages, the trio headed out the back door. Isaac had ordered two lounge chairs for the back deck shortly after he’d moved in—one for him and one for Louie. As soon as his dog was snapped to his long, backyard lead, he dutifully hopped into his usual seat, leaving Del and Isaac looking at the remaining chair.
“Guess we’re going to have to Roshambo for it,” she said on a laugh.
“Nah, I think we can both fit.” He sat sideways, as far up on the seat as he could and patted the remaining space beside him. “See? Plenty of room for you here.”
“But we can’t see the sunset if we’re facing that way,” she said, turning him to sit facing forward. He let his legs hang over each side, and she settled gently into the space between, her soft perfume washing over him. Isaac wrapped his free arm around her, guiding her back until she was resting against his chest. A contented sigh escaped her.
“Comfy?” he asked.
“Very,” she said. “I might have to take you home and add you to my living room collection.”
“Not sure that’d be in your best interest,” he teased. “Your grocery bill would climb significantly.”
“I believe that, after watching all the carbs you just put away,” she said on a laugh. “But can you cook?”
He took a drink of his beer, then shrugged. “I’ve got a few go-to dishes that aren’t too shabby.”
“Well, then you’d do much better than my davenport. It’s absolutely worthless in the kitchen.”
They shared a laugh, then fell into a comfortable silence. She felt so perfect, resting on his chest. Though it was still warm outside, a nice breeze helped to keep the night’s humidity—and mosquitoes—at bay. As the sun sank closer to the horizon, Isaac silently wished it would slow its descent.
“Isaac, can I ask you something?”
He tensed at the unexpected question. “Sure.”
She remained relaxed against him, her face toward the sun. “You’re not really a hermit, are you?”
He smirked. “Not by nature, no.”
“But something happened, didn’t it? Something that made you want to hide away from the world for a while?”
So perceptive and so deadly accurate. When would this woman stop surprising him? “Yes,” he admitted, resisting the urge to lie, and silently wishing that would satisfy her curiosity.
“Was it something illegal?”
“No,” he said, grinning.
