The odds are against us based on distance alone. Thinking about how settled she is here with the shop she’s running, I imagine she’s not looking to leave her mom alone.
Sliding my hand over her inner thigh, I rub the pad of my thumb on her soft skin. “Peachtree Pass probably isn’t the where and when you’d like. We know how it goes here. One whiff of a relationship travels like a live wire through town. But what are your thoughts on New York?”
She rests her head back on the seat and looks ahead at the road when a car passes by. Her eyes remain staring into the distance for a moment, maybe more, but when she turns to me again, her gaze softens. “Are you asking me to visit you in New York, Baylor?”
I gently squeeze her thigh and rest my head back while facing her. “If I were?”
“I don’t want ‘if I were.’ I want you to stand behind your words.” She massages the crook of my neck,easing the tension the deputy built up. I lean into it, into her. “I know it’s hard when we’re just getting to know each other.” Tucking hair behind her ear, she briefly lowers her gaze to her lap. “But I need to know if you’re asking me to come to New York to see you or just talking about a future kind of thing.”
This has escalated in a way I didn’t see coming. I don’t have a prepared speech or a line like I would typically have on hand to respond in a way to protect myself. But protecting myself from her isn’t something I need to do.
There’s no hiding anyway when she sees exactly who I am and she’s still here beside me, still kisses me like it means more than a fun few hours in bed or even meaningless sex. Shit . . . I like her.A lot.
She doesn’t take my shit or anyone else’s, for that matter. She doesn’t need me. If she’s here, it’s because she wants to be. That’s so incredibly sexy. To be chosen by her.
Taking hold of her hand, I bring it to my mouth and kiss the top twice before asking, “Will you come see me in New York, Lauralee?”
Her smile is worth the directness. “So formal, Mr. Greene. What happened to Shortcake?”
I chuckle with a slight shake of my head. “I can’t win.”
“You’re winning. Trust me, you’re doing everything right.” Her hand squeezes mine, and she adds, “I’d love to come see you in New York, but only on one condition.”
“Anything,” I reply, kissing her hand once more.
“I can stay with you.”
Leaning over the console, I kiss her cheek, and whisper in her ear, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Shortcake.”
When I drop back to my side of the car, she’s still leaning back against her seat, with a dreamy look in her eyes that usually comes after her release. This time, it’s for me. Totally worth putting myself on the line and risking rejection.
She says, “If we stay here much longer, Deputy McCall will have a problem.”
I shift into Drive and pull off the property and onto the road again. But I’m not letting her off the hook from my previous curiosity. “As for your earlier suffering.” I chuckle, and ask, “How long has it been?” She hums, and her eyes face ahead as if deep in thought. “I may be jumping to a certain conclusion but one that I have no right to judge, but selfishly, I’m hoping twenty-four days.”
“Why twenty-four—ohhh.” She laughs. “That jump’s not so off because, sadly, you’re right.”
“Do you mind me asking why that is?”
“You can ask anything you please.”
Since there seems to be no embarrassment attached, I ask, “Why haven’t you come?”
She doesn’t avoid eye contact, but I only receive it here and there as she keeps redirecting her attention outside the vehicle. “I don’t know . . .” She readjusts in her seat and then says, “Truth?”
“Absolute.”
“I’ve been struggling in that area, which I’ve mentioned before, but I think you’ve tainted me.” A playful shove to my arm is followed by a nervous laugh. “I shouldn’t have admitted that.”
“It’s okay,” I say, not laughing at all. “I feel the same about you.”
“You do?”
I nod, but then I remember a few times. “Well, almost.”
“Almost?” sheasks, her voice pitching.
“Don’t worry, baby, I haven’t been with any other women. But I didn’t have trouble getting off to the memory of you and me together.”
