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A dream of kissing her? The very notion he’d dreamed about her at all tickled her heart. A bolt of giddiness whipped around her. “Does that mean you’ll kiss me later?” She couldn’t even believe that question had sprung from her lips. She’d gone from bold to neon.
“I’m not sure I could stop myself if I tried.” He tipped his head toward the field next to them. “We’re in no hurry, so take as many photos as you want. I brought dinner. We can eat…stargaze…” He let the rest of the sentence drift off, but she had a good idea what the last word might be.
“Okay.” The urge to forget everything and just kiss him was almost more than she could resist. Later…he’d promised later.
He loosened his hold on her, and she whirled around, nearly dancing back to the passenger side of the truck. Her mind raced, and a longing she’d never felt before bloomed in her chest.
Returning home. The thought didn’t weigh her down like it once had. Maybe opening herself to that possibility wasn’t such a bad thing.
Jack
He’d kissed her. That was nowhere in the plans when Jack was putting this date together, but she was standing there, cute and sweet and alluring as any woman he’d ever met. She’d frozen a second, and then she’d melted into him, returning the kiss.
Her lips were every bit as soft as he’d imagined, maybe even more so. It’d pained him to keep the kiss as brief as he did, but he’d spent days planning this little getaway. He’d had to track down the owners of the property they were using, figure out what to pack for dinner, and then decide the best time to show up at her house. Enough time to photograph some in the daylight, but close enough that she’d get some great sunset shots, too.
The look of desire that turned to disappointment that he’d seen in her eyes surprised him, too. Her little pouty lips and the downturn of the corners like she was devastated that he’d stopped kissing her.
Then he’d told her about the dream of kissing her under the stars, and the desire flared in her eyes once again. The pout was replaced with a wide smile, so wide and brilliant it took work to loosen his hold on her and let her prance off into the field to take photographs instead of sweeping her into his arms, taking her back to the truck, and spending the entire evening kissing her.
She’d spent every minute until sunset walking around, pointing her camera here and there. Then she’d paced the crest of the hill, taking photos as the sun began its descent.
Jack loved watching her work. It was the first time he’d seen her truly happy. When she’d said it was her dream, she wasn’t kidding. To him, it was a dream driven by passion. If her photos were a reflection of the joy that emanated from her while she was taking them, there was no doubt in his mind that they were spectacular.
When he’d scouted the area earlier in the week, he’d noted the best position for the truck, so they’d have the choice of using the truck bed or spreading a blanket out on the ground. Either way, the spot was perfect for watching the sunset or gazing at the stars.
Finished with her camera, she returned it to the bag and skipped over to him, where he sat on the tailgate. She was just so cute. She’d walked out of her house in her T-shirt and shorts, and his tongue had nearly lolled out of his mouth.
“Get all the pictures you wanted?” Jack asked.
“I don’t think I could ever do that, but I got plenty.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Are you hungry?”
Her stomach growled in response, and she slapped a hand to her belly. “The answer is yes, apparently.”
Laughing, Jack nodded and hopped off the tailgate onto the ground. He walked to the bed and fished the picnic basket out of the toolbox welded to his truck. He’d been extra careful to protect it from whatever dirt and grime were in the toolbox—a suggestion his mom gave him, which he was thankful for because he hadn’t even considered that.
“Do you want a blanket on the ground or?—”
“A blanket on the ground.”
With that question answered, he set the basket down, grabbed the blanket he’d stashed behind his seat, and shook it out. The breeze gave him a little trouble getting it all smoothed out, but he eventually got them settled on it with the basket between them.
“I’ve got sandwiches, fruit, and a jug of sweet tea. I know it’s not?—”
Her hand came to rest on his forearm. “It’s perfect. The whole evening has been perfect.”
“The evening isn’t over.”
She flashed him a coy smile. “I’m optimistic.”
Yeah, he was, too, for the first time in a long, long time.
Jack pulled the food and drinks from the basket and set them on the blanket. “We’ve got ham, turkey, or something super fancy, peanut butter and jelly.”
She giggled. “How did you know that was my favorite sandwich?”
His eyebrows lifted. “Really?”
