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“What?”
“No, I like that. I like the fact that you’re giving me a mild threat just to keep me on my toes.”
She let out a light laugh. “I’m that transparent?”
“Hey, if I didn’t know me, I’d threaten me, too.”
She seemed to like that and laughed.
He slipped onto the bike and then felt her arms go around his waist. He patted her arms. “Don’t worry. You’ll be safe with me.”
And he meant it.
Chapter 8
Lucy gazed up at the stars. This side of town wasn’t overrun by tourists. It had a little park with a Frisbee golf course she’d forgotten about, and Raine had asked if she wanted to try. It’d been fun to play Frisbee golf by moonlight and laugh. It was also fun to flirt with a gorgeous man who was a tad snarky and very witty. He was definitely paying attention to everything she said and flirting with her hard-core.
As they lay on the blanket he’d brought, she found her head propped on his shoulder. It’d just sort of happened as they’d talked and he’d told her to use him to cushion her head. The guy smelled delicious, like his cologne was a mix of sandalwood and leather.
He pointed out all the constellations, including Orion, his belt, and his dogs. “Oh yeah, Orion has dogs,” he said, pointing to the area where the dogs would be. “His dogs’ official names are Canis Minor and Canis Major. They chase Lepus, the hare.”
She laughed, impressed by his extensive knowledge. “How did you learn all of this?” Every time she’d asked him about himself, he’d just done the bare rundown: he’d graduated from high school in Colorado, he’d served in the Army for eight years, and he and his brother had a business together.
“Oh, well, I loved the stars. When I was in the Army, sometimes we had a lot of time on our hands, so I made it a point to study the stars.” He pointed to another group of stars. “Those five stars are Cassiopeia.” His finger moved to a different area of the sky. “There’s the Big Dipper, otherwise called Ursa Major. If you follow the two stars on the side of the Big Dipper, it leads you right to Polaris, or the North Star.”
“Wow. I didn’t know Polaris is another name for the North Star.”
For the next couple minutes, he got really involved in showing her where the stars were and what they were called. After a bit, he stopped. “I’m boring you, aren’t I?”
She was snuggled into him at this point. That nagging voice inside of her warned that she really didn’t know this guy, but she didn’t care. She wanted to enjoy the moment. It was easier to relax if she didn’t dwell on Matt or Tatum, or how the caterer she’d booked for Dawn and Trevor’s wedding had just backed out, or how Dawn had texted that she wasn’t sure what time she would be in town tomorrow, and could she let the seamstress know she might be late for a fitting?
“Not. At. All,” she said to Raine. “I’m really enjoying this.”
“Good.” He leaned back, and she felt the tension in his muscles loosen.
Lucy cringed, realizing that she probably wasn’t that great of a date tonight. “Sorry if I’m … slightly preoccupied.”
Out of nowhere, his hand brushed the hair off of her cheek. “It’s okay.”
“Um, I’m sorry if you’ve assumed something different, but this isn’t a date, remember?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Right. I remember.” He tapped his head. “I’m not gonna lie; you’re looking very attractive in the moonlight.”
She couldn’t help but enjoy this male attention. “Thank you.”
He lifted a finger at her. “I do need to make sure you have my safety in mind here and you’re not planning to kill me and leave my body out here.”
“You’re safe with me,” she teased back, trying to mimic his tone.
He let out a low chuckle. “That’s good.”
For a while, they just gazed up at the stars. She let her eyes drift shut. She was so tired of worrying about Tatum and crying over Matt and their non-relationship. She resisted the urge to check her phone.
“Tell me about you, Lucy Longmont—the boutique owner, wedding planner, and friend of a Bridezilla.”
“You already know way more about me. I want to know about you.” It was true. For the first time in what felt like forever, because she’d been stuck in this world of Matt, she finally felt like she could open her heart and hear about someone else.
“Well, what do you want to know? I told you about foster care and the Army.”
