12. Delilah
DELILAH
“What exactly do you have in mind?” Jasper looked at me like he could see past the front I put on for everyone else, like he could see straight through to my core.
“I don’t know. That lemonade you gave me must have been full of sugar. I was pretty tired when we got here, but I think I’d have trouble falling asleep if you dropped me back at the house now.” That was mostly true. What I really wanted was the chance to spend more time with him.
“So you’re looking for a way to burn off some of that energy?” His eyes might have sparkled a little. Or maybe it was the light hitting him at just the right angle. It could have been wishful thinking, but I felt like he was flirting with me a bit.
“Sure. Do you have any ideas?” I flirted right back.
That kiss we’d shared the night before had left me in a worthless state.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt completely unfulfilled.
The kiss itself had been remarkable. But it had also cracked open a longing I couldn’t seem to shake.
Lying next to Jasper through the movie, even with a dog the size of Buster between us, had only increased my inexplicable need.
“We could”—he checked his phone for the time—“head over to the bar in Swynton for a drink. They’re serving for another couple of hours.”
“Isn’t that pretty far out of the way?”
His shoulders rolled. “Well, yeah. But it’s not like I’ve got to get you somewhere super early tomorrow.”
“If that’s what you want to do.”
He studied me for a long beat. “I’ve got another idea.”
“Uh-oh. What kind of idea?”
“It’s a surprise.” He fired up the engine and headed back the way we came. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he fiddled with the radio dial with the other. “What kind of music do you like?”
“I’m flexible.”
He settled on a country station. “You sure are accommodating tonight.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Buster’s nose nudged into my arm. Technically he was sitting in the back seat, although he’d been working his way onto the console.
“Get back, Buster.” Jasper rested his elbow between us, forcing Buster to retreat to the back seat again. “He’s used to riding shotgun.”
“I feel so special. You’ve given me priority seating over your dog.
” I let out a soft laugh. Maybe it was the sugar in the lemonade.
Or maybe it was spending the evening watching one of the most romantic movies of all time, knowing I was sitting next to the best kisser I’d ever met.
Whatever it was, something had loosened my grip on my self-control.
I’d shed the weight of my public persona.
For some reason, when I was alone with Jasper, I felt like I didn’t have to put on airs or worry about what he would think of me.
“You should feel special. You’re the first woman to displace Buster to the back seat. Not even Abby gets to ride up front when he’s in the truck.” Jasper reached back and ruffled the dog’s fur, earning him a few long swipes of wet dog kisses.
I smiled to myself. Jasper had just confirmed there wasn’t another woman in his life.
I’d assumed as much after spending the night at his place.
But having him confirm that I was the first woman to displace the dog convinced me he wasn’t dating around.
That definitely made me feel better about planting that humdinger of a kiss on him the night before.
We passed the turn off to Taylor Grove and drove down the blacktop a few more miles.
Jasper kept his eyes on the road, humming along every once in a while to the soft sounds coming from the radio.
I was content to let my head rest against the doorframe and enjoy the chance to study him under the cover of the dark cab.
Finally, he turned on the blinker and slowed. We hadn’t passed another vehicle in at least ten minutes. If it were someone besides Jasper, I might be a little concerned about heading out to the middle of nowhere. But in the short time we’d known each other, he’d shown me he was a gentleman.
The truck bounced onto a narrow dirt road. “Careful, it’s a little rough here.”
“Where in the world are you taking me?” Tall grass rose up on either side of the truck, almost high enough to reach the windows.
He shot me a glance, his lips quirked up in a grin. “You’ll see.”
My fingers wrapped tight around the handle over my head, and I tried to anticipate the worst of the bumps. We passed through a stand of scrubby trees, and just when I was about to ask him to turn back, he stopped.
He cut the lights and killed the engine. “We’re here.”
I looked through the windshield. The truck sat on top of a bluff. Off in the distance the lights of the town twinkled. “Is that Ido?”
“Yep.” He scooted closer. “See the dark section between the lights?”
I nodded.
“That’s the river. The lights on the other side are coming from Swynton.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“If you think that’s great, come with me.” He got out of the truck, and Buster hopped over the seat to follow.
I checked out the window. We’d left the tall grass behind when we passed through the trees, but I was careful to watch my step. With my luck I’d set my foot down on a snake, or maybe even something way worse.
Jasper had climbed into the bed of the truck. “You want to come up?”
I slid my hand in his, and he pulled me up onto the tailgate. “Where’s Buster?”
“Off checking out all the smells. He won’t go far.” Jasper spread out the blanket we’d used when we watched the movie. “Have a seat.”
“What are you up to?” I sat down, keeping an eye on him while he opened the cooler and retrieved the bottle of wine. He poured us each a plastic cup full, then handed me one.
“Sorry about the lack of glassware.” He clunked his cup against mine.
“What are we doing out here?” The sound of crickets surrounded us. I couldn’t help but worry a little bit about one of them jumping into the truck bed. Just thinking about the other night gave me a shiver.
He leaned back, propping himself up on an elbow. “Do I make you nervous?”
I wrinkled my brow. What was he getting at? “Why do you ask?”
“Do you always have to answer a question with a question?”
“I don’t do that.” The wide grin he gave me made me reconsider. “Do I?”
“You just did it again. Come here.” He motioned for me to scoot closer to him.
“Why did you ask if you make me nervous?” I slid over a few inches.
He groaned. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you.”
“What about the other times?” I’d skipped ahead to full-on flirt mode. Seeing him a little flustered, a little out of his element, was a bit of a turn-on.
“The other times I want to . . .” His gaze slid from my eyes to focus on my mouth.
“What?” I whispered.
He cupped my cheek with his palm, then ran the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. The contact sent a wave of warmth over me.
I opened my mouth, giving his thumb the slightest nip with my teeth. His eyes widened and before I had a chance to tease him about his reaction, his lips were on mine.
He pulled me down next to him as he stretched out. I registered the hardness of the truck bed against my hip, even through the blanket. Then I didn’t register anything at all, except for the heat of his tongue sliding into my mouth.
If I could pause time and spend the rest of eternity kissing Jasper Taylor, I’d do it in a heartbeat. He’d perfected the art of kissing.
By the time I pulled away to catch my breath, his hands had found their way under my shirt and scorched the skin over my ribs. “Is this what you brought me out here for?”
He shook his head, his nose nudging against my neck. “Look up.”
“What am I looking for?” I rolled onto my back, and looked up at the clear, dark sky. Thousands of pinpricks of light dotted the blackness above. “Oh, wow. The stars.”
His fingers twined with mine and he brought my hand to his lips. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
“I never knew there were so many.”
“You’ve got to get far enough away from town to be able to see them. We got lucky with no clouds tonight.”
We lay there for several minutes, looking up at the sky, the crickets playing a symphony around us. A flash of light streaked across the darkness. “Did you see that?” I squeezed his hand.
“A shooting star. You know you’re supposed to make a wish now, right?”
I took in a shaky breath. “What would you wish for?”
“It’s not my star. I don’t get a wish.” He flipped onto his side to face me and propped his arm up to rest his cheek on his palm. “The question is, what are you going to wish for?”
“I don’t know.” I hadn’t wished on a star in years. The last time I had, it hadn’t come true. That was before I figured out that wishing on stars didn’t have enough magic to bring my dad back into my life.
“Go on, make a wish.” Jasper let our clasped hands rest on my stomach. “You don’t have to tell me what you wish for.”
“I guess I don’t believe in wishing on shooting stars.”
“That’s a shame. Everyone knows wishing on a shooting star works.”
I shook my head.
“What if I can prove it?”
“How exactly are you going to do that?”
“Hold on, and I’ll show you.” He rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky. A few minutes passed before he lifted his arm and pointed. “See that? I’m calling that one.”
“You’re crazy.” I shook my head, wondering how he planned to make his point.
“I’m making my wish right now.” He closed his eyes, his lips moving without making a sound.
“So . . . what did you wish for?” I nestled into his side, my curiosity piqued. What would a man like Jasper Taylor want bad enough to wish for on a shooting star?
“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Then how are you going to prove it to me?”
“Come here.” His hand tangled in my hair as he drew my face close to his.