Dolby(18)
Author: Maryann Jordan
She licked her lips, and he noticed her open her mouth a couple of times before she finally pushed through and said, “I’d like you to stay. I’d like to get to know you, too. Whatever we felt the night at the lighthouse, I can’t deny it was special. So maybe, just maybe, it’s time to step out of my comfort zone again.”
Grinning, his heart much lighter, he reached down and covered her small, delicate hands with his own, bringing them between their bodies. Holding on for fear of her disappearing, he said, “It might be crazy to want this after we only just met, but I’m glad you're taking a chance on me, Marcia.”
Her lips curved upward before breaking into a wide smile. Inclining his head back toward the sofa, he asked, “Can we sit?”
“Let me get us something to drink first.”
“You don’t need to serve me. I’ll come with you.”
She nodded shyly and turned, walking past the kitchen island that divided the kitchen space from the living room. He glanced out the window, and the view of the ocean was spectacular. “Wow, I can see why you wanted to rent this place.”
She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. Pouring two glasses, she handed one to him. They walked back into the living room, settling on the sofa with their bodies angled toward each other. “I had sold my house and wanted to live closer to my good friend. She and her husband have a house near here. I’m looking to buy but want to find just the right place. Until then, renting was the perfect solution.”
“Where did you used to live?”
He noted a slight hesitation before she replied, “San Francisco. Well, south of the city. I had a nice and quiet condo where I could work. But then the land around was sold, and several high-rises were being built. It became noisy and crowded. I’d visited this area where my friend lived and fell in love with it. I’m renting now but hope to find a nice home to purchase.” She held his gaze. “What about you?”
“I live and work in the Big Sur area. I bought a place. It’s not on the water like this, but it’s got a great mountain view, and the ocean is only a couple of miles away.”
“That sounds lovely.” She glanced around and sighed. “While this is nice for now, I can’t wait to have my own place again. Somehow renting makes me feel like I never actually can decorate or call a place my own.”
Grinning, he nodded. “How would you decorate?”
“Bookshelves!”
Laughing, he realized it was the first time she’d answered a question without any hesitation. “And you’d fill them with M.B. Burns mysteries.”
She blushed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d fill them with all romance novels.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of romance books?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, her blush deepened, and her mouth twisted slightly. She shrugged again before sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Straightening her spine, she lifted her chin and held his gaze. “All kinds of romance. People can be so judgmental about books. If someone is reading self-help, biographies, mysteries, paranormal, or non-fiction… no one seems to think anything about it. But as soon as someone mentions romance novels, many people roll their eyes as though you’ve just admitted you read something unworthy.”
Throwing his hands up in defense, he shook his head. “You won’t get book snobbery from me, Marcia. My mom is a librarian. She raised my brothers and me to read anything and everything we wanted. As far as I’m concerned, all books have value. Hell, especially romance.”
Her brow furrowed as she stared at him. “I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
He shifted closer so his knee touched hers, and his arm lay on the back of the sofa, his fingers dangling near her shoulder, itching to touch her bare skin. During the night they’d spent in the lighthouse, they’d sat close to each other for warmth, but he didn’t want to make any assumptions now. “Books are a reflection of life. And none are more important than those about relationships. Friendships. Family. Couples. Love.”
He knew it wouldn’t be the answer a lot of men would give. But he’d seen firsthand the way a true relationship could shape a family and the next generation. He’d seen the other Keepers who’d fallen in love and the rest of them who’d fight to protect that person, bonding their friendships forever. But he wondered what her response to his statement would be.
She pressed her lips together, her gaze never leaving his. It was an interesting dichotomy with Marcia. In his experience, people who were introverts and cautious around others often didn’t make eye contact. But with her, she peered deeply into his eyes as though wanting… well, he wasn’t sure what she wanted, but he hoped she found whatever she was searching for.
Reaching out, she placed her hand on his arm. The touch was butterfly light, but he felt branded, more so knowing she probably rarely offered physical contact to others.
Smiling, she said, “I like that, Jonathan. I think that’s the nicest description of romances I’ve ever heard.”
He grinned, loving the smile on her face and knowing he had put it there. “Well, my mom would have my head if she heard me dissing any genre of book.”
They sat in silence for a moment, and it dawned on him how comfortable he felt. There was no awkwardness, no desperately trying to find something to say. There was just the peace of the afternoon as they sipped their drinks.
“You only have brothers?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “Yep. Two brothers and I’m the youngest.”
Her eyes widened, as did her smile. “Three boys!”
“Yeah, we were hell-raisers. Oldest is a Navy SEAL now. The next one is a Marine. Recon.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. Tell me about them… well, about all of you.”
His smile widened at the interest he spied on her face and shifted to face her more fully. “Frazier is the eldest. Calm. Quiet. Big fucker—uh… big guy.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re calling someone else big? Bigger than you?”
Looking at her slender form, he could only imagine what he looked like to her. He scrubbed his hand over his hair, remembering the dried mud sticking to the ends yesterday, and hoped she thought he looked better today. “I guess we’re about the same size. Maybe it’s just because while growing up, he just seemed bigger to me since he was the oldest.”