“Stubborn, as usual. She’s having some trouble with her mortgage payments, and I’m trying to convince her to let me buy the damn house for her. Emphasis on trying.”
“Parent pride,” I say. “It took a while for my parents to accept Sebastian’s help. But then again, he always insisted it was because they risked everything for him when they sold the ranch and gave him the money to start Bennett Enterprises.”
“He had a good argument.”
“Yeah, but he would have worn them down anyway. You’ll do that with your mom too.”
“Working on it.”
He doesn’t offer more of an explanation, and I don’t push. He’ll share more with me if he feels like it. In the meantime, I can be here for him, help him relax. Perfect time to show him my finding.
“Look what I have.” I slide down the hood closer to him, holding the CD with the back cover toward him so he can read the songs on it.
“Nice find,” he says appreciatively. “I was a big fan of most of these.”
“It’s why I bought it. Thought it would cheer you up.”
He looks at me in surprise. “You’re amazing.”
Wrapping his fingers around one of my ankles, he pulls me even farther down, until my ass slides almost completely off the hood. When he kisses me, the feel of his mouth on mine is different than it’s been before. He’s exploring me with hunger and curiosity, like he’s discovering a different meaning to kissing, and I’m discovering it with him. Being kissed out of my shoes after that meeting was thrilling. Being kissed on the hood of his car, slowly and deeply, is making my stomach flutter and my toes curl.
Until a gust of wind sweeps through, chilling me to my bones. I’m wearing the coat Nate insisted I take with me, but it’s not helping much. The fabric, while soft and elegant, isn’t too thick. Instantly, Nate wraps his arms around me, unhitching his lips from mine and peppering my neck with kisses instead. Like the opportunist I am, I cocoon against him, soaking in his warmth.
“And you wanted to go out without a coat.”
“Ah, but this was my secret plan all along. To get you to warm me up.”
“If you want me to hold you, Alice, all you have to do is ask.”
Ah, but he doesn’t understand. Snuggling under the pretense of needing warmth is safe. There’s no danger of demanding or giving too much too soon. “Give me the CD. I’ll plug it in the sound system. You go inside the car with the coffees.”
“Where are you going?”
“You can only put in CDs from the trunk.”
Grabbing our coffees, I head inside the car, and he joins me a few minutes later.
“Why does my trunk smell like coconut?” he asks.
“Oh. I baked Summer her favorite coconut cookies, but they’re in a Tupperware container. They shouldn’t smell.”
I show my love by stuffing people with their favorite food. The way I see it, nothing spells love better than that.
“I can sniff out goodies from miles away. You think she’d mind if we stole some? They’d go perfectly with the coffee.”
I stare down at him. “They’re for my sister. Don’t you dare touch them.”
“Didn’t know you’d draw such a hard line at this.”
“I’m a closet mother hen. Can’t help it.”
He gets the car moving, smiling silently as we head back out on the highway.
“You know what else you are? A closet romantic.”
“Why would you say that?” I ask in a small voice.
By way of answering, he starts the sound system, and the first track on the CD starts playing. Okay, so buying the CD might count as a romantic gesture.