"The clouds kind of screwed up my whole plan for a picnic beneath the moon, but you get the idea," I said proudly.
"What are you trying to do to me?" Ashton asked, looking awestruck at the scene before us.
"I figured I owed you for last night," I said, linking my fingers through hers so I could drag her to the waiting blanket and picnic basket perched on top of it. "This way we can knock two of those items off that list you have," I added as she looked completely transfixed by the lanterns.
"Two?" she asked with a catch in her voice.
"A canoe ride beneath the stars," I answered, pointing to the aluminum canoe I'd finally been able to track down. "I'm hoping the clouds will give us a break," I added wryly.
"This is too much," Ashton said, not looking ecstatic like I had pictured she would be.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders.
She shrugged them off. "This," she said, pointing to the picnic. "And that," she added, pointing to the canoe.
"Why is it too much?" I asked confused. Sure, I might have gone a little overboard for this date, but the end result would make it all worth it. Somewhere between deciding not to turn her over to my client right away, and making her mine, I decided I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to know why she had run. I had to know why her eyes occasionally clouded over with hopelessness, and what lurked behind the passion that flared up in those same eyes. She was like a rare treasure that begged to be discovered and explored.
"Because, we're not a couple," she said. "We're not even lovers yet," she added through gritted teeth before turning and stalking off for the vehicle.
"Hey, wait. I know we're not," I said, snagging her hand after she'd only taken a few steps. "But that doesn't mean we can't get to know each other and enjoy the time we have together," I said, cupping her face with my hands. "I just want to enhance what we have going on here."
"You're trying to make me fall in love with you," she said with trembling lips. She looked as if she was fighting back tears.
"I've already been down the heartbreak route, and have no plans to travel it ever again, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy what we have going on here. You yourself have to admit that the connection between us is more than lust," I said, pulling her closer. "I say let's explore it and just enjoy it. There's no reason we need to rush any of this. We can let the anticipation build up before we finally let it crash over us. I've taken the next few weeks off from work. Spend them with me," I pleaded.
"This was supposed to be just an affair," she said, her eyes shining brightly with unshed tears.
"And that's what it will be. That doesn't mean we can't have fun discovering each other along the way."
"What if you fall in love with me?"
"You keep asking that. Trust me on this. My heart is too hardened to ever love again," I said, running my hand up the side of her face. Pulling her close, I placed my lips to hers, probing with my tongue until she opened her mouth fully. Our lips caressed each other until the rigidness in her arms disappeared and she melted against me. "Tell me you'll spend the next few weeks with me," I said, pulling back despite her protests. >"Are you trying to break up with me?"
"We'd have to be dating to break up," I answered.
"Fair enough. Are you trying to end our sexual exploits before they've had a chance to be explored? Are you telling me you no longer want to go bike riding with me?" he coaxed, trailing his hand over my knee.
"Of course not. I was just trying to give you an out," I said, watching his hand with bated breath as it crept higher up my leg.
"I'm not looking for an out," he said, all joking gone from his voice. "I'll be here at six to pick you up," he clarified.
"And there would be that bossy side again," I said. "You really don't have to. Maybe you should rest tonight and we can get together tomorrow," I reasoned, trying to re-establish boundaries.
"Let me get this straight. I ask you to dinner, proceed to be a total dumbass by eating something I'm allergic to, you rush me to the hospital, sit by my sorry ass until a room was ready and then proceed to drive forty-five minutes out of your way the next morning to pick me up, making yourself late for work and yet, you think I'd pay you back by making you walk home after stranding you at work. That's not bossy. That's owning up," he said, flipping my hand over to plant a kiss on my palm.
"Besides, I don't want to be away from you that long," he added, placing another kiss in the center of my palm.
My breath quickened at the touch of his lips. "Okay," I finally answered, forcing myself to withdraw my hand so I wouldn't be any later for work.
Shutting the car door behind me, I walked away even though I would have much rather stayed with him. I was surprised at my reluctance to leave him. Even with my pathetic experience at dating, I'd always been put off by the limited conversation skills the guys I dated seemed to have. More times than not, the conversations had been stilted and often one-sided. Usually a few hours into the date, I was ready to call it a night and anxious to escape their presence. Was this how a real relationship was supposed to be? Did people really crave the companionship of their significant other to the point of being obsessive over it?
"I'm glad to see you survived your jump," Fran greeted me as I entered the store.
"Piece of cake," I answered, donning an apron.
"Piece of cake, my ass," she grumbled, glaring at me. "You're lucky you didn't break your damn fool head."
"It might be an improvement," I quipped.