Casey burst out laughing. “Is this guy an art major or an English professor?”
“Clearly, he’s a psychologist,” Jake said.
Casey laughed even harder. “Do you really think the artist meant all of that?” she asked.
Jake shrugged. “I have no idea. It certainly seems ‘moody,’ but maybe there was a storm on the horizon, and he captured it really well.”
“Maybe he was really pissed off that day, and that’s why the clouds came out angry looking.”
“The only thing I’m learning right now is that I’ll never interpret art,” Jake said, shaking his head. “This is not my first time trying, either. At least I can say this is a really gorgeous sunset. I like looking at it.”
“Me too,” Casey said, smiling. She took his hand and squeezed it, her eyes glinting with pleasure as she looked up at Jake.
They continued slowly around the museum, listening to the narrator. Both of them admitted they might never pick up the subtleties of art, but they could talk about what they enjoyed, and that was all that mattered.
As they left the museum, Jake knew that he was never going to be a massive art fan. This date had proven one thing to him, though. It didn’t matter where he was … he was always going to enjoy his time with Casey.
CHAPTERSIX
CASEY
Casey sat in the back of Jake’s car, his arm around her while the other lightly touched the top of her thigh. She had such a wonderful time with the gorgeous specimen of a man, especially after they both admitted to one another that they knew jack shit about art.
It was a very vulnerable moment for them both, and it made Casey feel like she could actually be herself. She watched Jake, too, letting his shoulders relax and fall into a place of freedom, a place where she could truly get to know everything she needed to know about the handsome billionaire.
As the streetlights sped by and Casey settled into Jake’s arm, her phone buzzed in her purse. She thought about leaving it to not let anything get in the way of their basking in each other’s presence.
But she had an intuition about something being off, so she used two fingers to slip the phone out and gaze at it. She let out an instinctive sigh as she read it quickly.
“What’s up?” Jake asked.
She turned to him, still resting the phone upon her thigh.
“Oh, it's nothing,” she began, waving her hand in the air. “A friend of mine canceled plans on me, so I’m bummed.”
Jake pulled her in closer. She could smell his cologne up close, fragrant and even a little spicy. Her heart fluttered in her chest when she met his eye. Unlike most men, his gaze didn’t waver. He made her nervous in ways that were stunning.
“That’s not nothing,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. “What is the event? I can always join you instead.”
Casey couldn’t help her reaction. She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her free hand. When Jake remained stoic, she waved her hand back and forth again in earnest.
“Sorry, I just don’t think it would be your thing!”
He raised an eyebrow at her, his lips worming into a bemused smirk. “Try me,” he nearly growled.
Casey proceeded to explain to him that her friend Layla and she were going to see a monster truck rally. She told him, while slightly shielding her face, that it was her guilty pleasure. When she finished speaking, she slowly raised her eyes to his, waiting for him to burst into tears with amusement, just as she did a few seconds earlier.
But much to her surprise, he removed his arm from the seat behind her and placed both hands on her thighs. His hands on her bare skin made her breathe harder, causing her to subconsciously raise her chest into the air.
“What if I told you,” he said, voice rumbling as he circled her knee with one finger, “that I own a share in the monster truck touring company? Hmm? What is it called again,Green Monster?”
Casey’s heart began to patter in her chest, and a smile as wide as the equator streamed across her lips. “Are you serious?” she scoffed.
Jake’s lower lip slipped beneath some sharp, cat-like teeth. He continued to move one single finger lightly over her knee like a feather teasing her skin. “I am beyond serious,” he replied. “But I’ve never actually been to one. I would love to experience that for the first time with you if you'd like.”
There was a part of Casey that still didn’t completely believe him. He may own a share in a monster truck company, but actually attending didn’t seem like his vibe. The man probably wore a three-piece suit when he was ordering a pizza for a night in.
But the prospect was still exciting to Casey. She decided to take the plunge, taking Gerri’s advice about living a bit on the edge. “Well, all right,” she said, feeling her tongue slither out between her lips.