Chapter Six
Declan finished up with Chloe and then went walking around the camp, trying to appear casual as if just scouting to get the lay of the land.
He didn’t want to be too obvious about the fact that he was searching for that cutie he’d met earlier.
Actually, all three of the women were cute. But one in particular—the one hiding from her colleague—was simply adorable.
And he couldn’t get her off his mind.
Thankfully, a few minutes into his walk, he spotted her coming out of the store. She was alone, and he wondered where her two friends had gone. There wasn’t time to ask, though, because a crisis was unfolding.
Evidently, that Derek guy was back again, because the woman’s face turned starkly pale as she gasped and quickly spun on her heels, heading the opposite direction.
Declan looked over his shoulder to see that, indeed, a man was approaching as he walked with some other people. Must be Derek, he surmised.
That’s my cue, he thought with a smile.
He had to move quickly, though. The group of people heading toward her—the one she was seemingly trying to avoid—was closing in fast. They’d walk right past her in a matter of seconds if he didn’t intervene.
So, Declan sprang into action and reached her in just a few quick strides.
The whole time, his eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for a sign or rules or anything posted that they could pretend to be reading. There wasn’t anything.
But his years in the Navy and then the Coast Guard had taught him to improvise, so he quickly had another idea. A far better one…
“Kiss me,” he said the moment he reached her, jerking his head toward the incoming group. “Or pretend to, at least.”
“Huh?” she said with a shocked expression. A light of recognition then flickered in her eyes and she smiled. “Yes!”
There was nothing pretend about the kiss. She smashed her lips against his, sending shockwaves of electricity through him that radiated all the way down to his toes.
Mmm. That cutie tasted wonderful.
The group of people who strolled by continued chatting, seemingly not even noticing the couple on the walkway making out just a few feet away. Declan wanted to extend the moment, but didn’t want to make the Little feel weird. So, he reluctantly broke off the kiss.
“They’ve moved on,” he said.
She didn’t speak right away, making him think that perhaps he’d over-stepped. But the wistful gaze in her eyes, and the stunned smile she wore, told him that she’d enjoyed that kiss every bit as much as he had.
“Thank you,” she finally said.
He smiled down at her, feeling like a giant as he towered over her. “Don’t mention it.” He cleared his throat and tried to act a bit more serious, like he figured a camp counselor would, when he added, “There isn’t going to be any trouble between you and this guy, is there?”
She shook her head, causing her blond curls to bounce. Man, she was the cutest thing he’d seen since…well, maybe ever.
“Nope. Promise!”
As he studied her some more, he realized there was no maybe about it.
She was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
It seemed strange to even think this way, as he usually wasn’t the hopeless romantic type. Sure, he was looking for his little girl. But he didn’t assume every beautiful woman he came across was her.
But it was different with…he smiled wider to himself, realizing he lacked one bit of crucial information.
“What’s your name?”
“Maisie,” she replied.
“I’m Declan,” he said.
She continued to smile. “I like your name. It’s unique.”
“So is yours,” he said. “First time I’ve ever kissed a woman without even knowing her name.”
She giggled.
That was the sweetest sound to ever reach his ears.
He studied her for another moment before asking, “Are you meeting up with your two friends I saw earlier?”
“That’s Sophia and Naomi. They’re still shopping.”
“You didn’t want to shop?”
“Oh, I did. The store is sending the stuff I bought directly to our cabin later.” She looked somewhat sheepish as she continued. “I was so worried Derek was going to come in or something, so I kind of rushed through it.”
Declan nodded. He studied her for another moment before saying, “Do you want to go get an ice cream cone? My treat.”
He braced himself, fearing she’d say no. It proved to be all for nothing, though. Her lips split in a wide smile that reached her beautiful blue eyes. “I’d love that.”
He nodded. “Good. You can tell me all about this Derek guy and what’s going on.”
And with that, they started walking, setting out on what very much felt like a first date.