Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
You naughty rake
LILA
“Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?”
So far, all he told me was to dress for outdoor activities and wear comfy shoes. That was good enough for me. Now that we’re en route, I’m getting antsy.
Part of me finds it sexy that he put in the effort to surprise me.
And that part would be my vagina.
“You can have a hint,” he teases through a cheeky grin. “Grab the bag on the backseat and look inside.”
Loosening my seatbelt so it doesn’t choke me, I twist at the waist to retrieve the bag. My greedy fingers yank at the drawstring, making short work of untying it. Once I’ve dumped the contents onto my lap, I sort through everything frantically.
Oh my word.
My heart swells, pressing against my rib cage. A whirling sensation of lightness fills my tummy, causing me to be concerned that I might float away.
Did Reed wake up today with the explicit purpose of shocking me stupid? He’s succeeded.
Considering how yesterday’s date ended, I was sure he knew I was guilty and was cutting ties. When he texted to ask me out, I was flabbergasted.
But now this?
Reed has officially blown the lid off the Surprise-Lila-O-Meter.
The bag contains a treasure trove of supplies for a birdwatching adventure.
I have no idea what my body reveals on the outside about my reaction, but on the inside, I’ve already bought my wedding dress and am waiting at the altar.
Kidding. Sort of.
“Reed,” I whisper, awe coating his name. “Are you serious?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
“If you’re teasing me with birding, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Well, you did earn some first-class disappointment after swiping my keys.”
I wave him off. “Psh. You aren’t over that yet? It was practically forever ago.”
He lifts one shoulder. “My ego is far too fragile. Revenge must precede forgiveness.” He takes his eyes off the road long enough to waggle his brows at me. “Welcome to payback, Lila. Population you.”
Time to call his bluff. “Fine. Where are we going for this alleged payback?”
“The landfill.”
“Kind of a lame place to dump my body. I’d have thought you could do better, given your line of work.”
He hums a one-note laugh. “I’m trying to date you, Lila. Not murder you. Besides, there’s more to do at the landfill than disposing of bodies.”
“Such as?”
“Lots of birds there, cookie.”
I beam at him, not letting him get a rise out of me. “As long as there are birds where we’re going, I’ll love it.”
He fights a smile, the effort causing his dimple to pucker. “You say that now, but I only brought one pair of nose plugs, and they’re for me.”
I study the items on my lap, contemplating what to grab first. Giddiness makes my knees bounce. “This thing has the phone adapter so we can take pictures through the binoculars. Eeek!”
“Yes, photographs of the dump trucks.”
He wouldn’t dare. Even Reed has his limits when it comes to cruelty.
“It’s open already,” I mumble as I dive into the box like a maniac on a mission.
“I opened it to charge it for you.”
My heart thumps three times at that.
Danger. Danger.
Only my lady parts are supposed to be fond of Reed. What’s my heart doing here? Heck, he only picked me up for this date ten minutes ago, and I’m already feeling affection for him in several other parts of my anatomy. At this rate, I’ll be on my back or on my knees by sunset.
He remembered I was scared of heights. He knows how I feel about my body and what foods I enjoy, right down to my favorite cookies.
Unlike the man who broke my heart, this Reed is oozing compassion. It makes me wonder how he was able to do what he did to me. The two versions of him don’t align.
Maybe I’ll find the nerve to ask him one day. Not today. I’m enjoying myself too much to kill the vibe.
Ignoring the looming inevitability of falling for Reed—again—I study the other items in the bag. Sunscreen, bug spray, a notebook with an attached pencil, and an audio recording device.
I’m in Heaven.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive at Lettuce Lake Conservation Park.
Correction. Now I’m officially in Heaven. Before it was like . . . Heaven’s gate. Wait. No, that was a cult.
Whatever.
Reed did his homework. This park is a birding hotspot according to recent eBird reports.
I shove all the items into the bag. As soon as he shifts into park, I bound from the car like my seat is spring-loaded.
Reed’s deep laugh sends sparks of lust straight to my nipples. “Excited, Lila?”
“Not at all,” I tease, sputtering my lips. “Seriously, this is perfect. How did you know?”
Striding toward me, he lowers his face to my level and utterly destroys me with those rich chocolate eyes. “How did I know that you like birds? Lucky guess,” he hedges, his words overflowing with sarcasm.
Planting myself in front of him, I prompt him for an explanation. “I mean, sure, I told you about the peacocks. But caring for neighborhood wildlife is a far cry from actual birding.”
“Lila, I’ve known you since you were ten.”
“Eight, actually.”
His face brightens, clearly tickled I knew that fact off the top of my head. “I stand corrected.”
Reed’s so proud of himself for selecting this date that he’s practically peacocking. And I gotta admit, his showy feathers and butt shuffle are doing it for me. Metaphorically.
He takes the bag of supplies, freeing up my hands. Instinctively, I slip them into my pockets. If I don’t restrain my hands, I’ll have them on some part of Reed any second now. Be that his face, hair, dick, balls, thighs, ears. All his parts are on the table.
Sadly, groping Reed isn’t why I’m on this fake date.
This is my last shot to obtain intel to trade with Silas before I’m forced to surrender to Agent Dad Andrews. My meeting with Silas is set for tomorrow.
There isn’t time for feelings on this date.
If I can prove his knowledge of me is somehow nefarious, it’ll be easier to avoid jumping his bones, so I press for an answer. “Knowing me since we were kids doesn’t answer my question, Reed. We’ve never been birdwatching. And Kenzie never went with me either. So how—”
With a voice that could melt the Arctic, he orders, “Don’t worry about how I know and just say thank you.”
My traitorous smile reappears. “Thank you. This is the perfect date.” I throw a funny face, whispering, “Please don’t let that get back to the other members of the Reed Hayes Hate Club.”
“I make no promises. It’s my new life’s mission to take that club down.” He winks. “Now, are we seeing some birds or standing around to talk about it all day?”
I clap twice, brimming over with excitement. “Let’s do it.”
He cricks his head to one side, his eyes heating. “Poor word choice, cookie.”
“Not everything is about sex,” I chide.
“Pity,” he deadpans.
He places one hand on my back to guide me toward the entrance to the main nature trail. I hope he doesn’t notice that his touch gives me goosebumps. I can’t explain those away as weather-related chills since it’s as muggy as a swamp out here.
Ahead, a narrow boardwalk runs through the forest. With railings on each side, it sits about a few feet off the marshy ground.
When we get to the short staircase at the boardwalk’s entrance, he releases my lower back to gesture for me to go first. “Milady.” He even adds a chivalrous bow to sell it.
I’m filing that memory in the Reed folder in the back of my brain. It’ll be nice to retrieve it when I’m bored in my future jail cell. No doubt I’ll never see this playful side of him again. He’ll probably be all business at my trial when he testifies against me.
I search my memories, unable to recall ever seeing him as upbeat as he’s been on these dates. He certainly would never ham it up in front of Kenzie or his family.
He’s only this way with me.
At least, that’s what I’m gonna tell myself when I need an ego boost.
This playful version of Reed is a whole new side of him for me to love.
Wait. Who said that? No. Not love.
To be wary of. A whole new side of him to be wary of.
With my cheeks flaming, I grab his open hand and tug him upright from his silly bow. “You’re laying it on a bit thick, Reed.”
He throws his voice in some version of a British accent. “So you don’t wish for me to be a gentleman? Noted. I guess I shall be a cad.”
Mouth first, he dives at my neck, peppering me with obnoxiously loud kisses and nibbles. It shocks a boisterous laugh out of me, but I don’t shy away from his faux affections.
Rational Lila knows I should push him away and laugh off his joke immediately.
Sadly, I don’t know where that chick is right now.
Instead, I grab the back of his head and shove him deeper against my neck.
“Ravish me, you naughty, naughty rake,” I purr, getting in on the bit while simultaneously reveling in the feel of his mouth on my skin.
Even if it isn’t real, I can still enjoy it. Plus, it’s more good stuff for me to recall when I’m rotting in jail. I’d like my Reed folder to be overflowing with moments like these.
There’s a rumble against my skin. Oh my goodness. He’s growling against my throat.
If he keeps that up, I’m gonna cut this amazing date off short and ask him to bang me in the back of his car.
Missing birding would be such a shame.
But also not.
Two things can be true at once.
Regrettably, I come to my senses. Giving him a tiny shove, I break out of his hold. “All right. Enough of that.”
He takes the brush off well, snickering as he releases me. But he doesn’t let me get more than a step away before returning to my side to retake my hand.
I’m on a date with Reed Hayes. And he’s holding my hand. While we’re in the most perfect place in the world. Plus, he’s being playful and sexy. Soft and sweet, only for me.
If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.
“Lila, what’s a rake? I feel like that means something, but I have to admit, I don’t get it.”
His unexpected question sends me into a spontaneous giggle fit. He joins me, but when I glance his way, he appears to be waiting for an answer.