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Constance picked up a grape and popped it in her mouth, forcing herself to be mature about this. Their experiences made them who they were. James might not have been such a perfect gentleman if he hadn’t had the experiences that led him here tonight. The easiest way to do that was to pretend until it was real.
She tilted her head, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing the piece of fruit. “Tell me about the first one.”
He frowned, confusion flittering across his face.
“Your first girlfriend?”
That was the wrong question to ask. Immediately the soft planes of his face sharpened. He released her hand and frowned. “Why do you want to know about that?”
She shrugged, attempting to act like the topic didn’t scare her to death. “I’m curious.”
“That’s not the sort of thing you talk about on a first date, you realize that, right?”
Warmth flooded her cheeks and she let out a laugh that she hoped sounded more flirtatious than it did in her head. Her lashes fluttered and she shielded her eyes beneath them. “I don’t think I need to point out that I don’t have the experience you do. Maybe I’m just curious. What was young James like? Did he fumble through his dating years like a typical teenager?” She peered at him from beneath her lashes. “You don’t have to talk about your past if you don’t want to. It’s not like we haven’t talked a lot about ourselves while on the job. That subject is one of the only ones that hasn’t come up.”
James relaxed only slightly. He dragged a hand down his face and eyed her with what could only be read as suspicion.
She laughed. “I promise. I’m not trying to uncover some secret. Though if you have one, I warn you it will be unearthed eventually.” She’d meant those words to be just as playful and light, but they seemed to hit him in a way she hadn’t been prepared for. She didn’t have any secrets except for knowing that Brielle had been the one to tell him to stay away. James hated secrets. He wouldn’t have kept anything from her, and even if he had, she couldn’t expect him to confess on the first date.
Maybe it was time to start preparing herself for the inevitable conversation with her father.
She looked up at James, finding him studying her once again. She shifted under his scrutiny. “Well? Are you going to lighten the mood with stories of your failed dates? Because I’ll let you in on a little secret. I don’t have any—unless this one turns out to be the first.”
The corners of his mouth lifted into a hesitant grin. “I have never been on a date with a girl who was actually interested in hearing about my past exploits.”
“Exploits, huh? Maybe I should walk away from this conversation while we both have our dignity.”
This time he actually laughed, a sound that eased the growing ache of uncertainty within her. She grabbed another grape and bit down, letting the juice coat her mouth in a sweet and tangy layer.
“Okay, fine. But no names and only vague details.”
“Deal.”
He shifted, reclining on his side so he could prop his elbow against the blanket and rest his head in his hand. “I used to hike up here when I was in high school. Riding horses at my family’s ranch always felt like a chore. I wanted something different, so I would come to places like this where I didn’t have to take care of an animal.”
She snickered. “You didn’t like taking care of the horses at your ranch, so you got a job taking care of other people’s horses.”
James shrugged. “What can I say? I’m more complicated beneath the surface than I appear to be.” He plucked a chip from a bowl and crunched it in his mouth as his gaze swept over their immediate surroundings. “This place was an escape. It’s usually not occupied because most of the locals are like you and they want to ride their horses or they’re too busy working. So I took full advantage of that and brought a few dates up here.”
“How did that go? Did they find it as amazing as you did?”
He grimaced. “Honestly? No. Most of the girls I liked in high school weren’t the hiking type. They weren’t the working type either.”
She made a face. “Geez, they sound like Brielle.”
His brows creased and the frown returned to his face.
“Don’t worry, I won’t judge you for dating girls like that. I get it. Guys in high school were shallow.” Her words didn’t land the way she wanted them to.
He didn’t appear to relax at all. Instead, he sat up and plucked at the little fuzzy balls on the blanket. “I had a huge crush on the first girl I brought here. But we only came the one time. She didn’t like it—preferred to drive to the city. After her, I tried again twice more. They were laid back dates, nothing like this.” His smile almost looked pained as he reached for her hand and held it tight. “Just because I brought other girls here doesn’t mean it isn’t special. I brought you here because this is one of my favorite places to go… Date or no date.”
Tingles and chills assaulted her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and the clear memory of their passionate kiss before they came here filled her thoughts. Her lips buzzed, as if asking for more. “Well, you’ve finally brought a girl here who can appreciate it.”
Well, that was stupid to say. It was the only thing that popped into her head and it was ridiculous. She would be lucky if he didn’t see her as the child she’d been when her crush started.
James leaned forward and grasped her chin with his finger and thumb. “Somehow I knew you would,” he whispered before placing a kiss on her forehead.
How was it that he knew exactly what to say and how to say it?
