He slowed his steps, and they walked in companionable silence.
“It smells like rain,” she said after they’d left Main Street and were on the road toward the inn. Darker here, sizable trees on both sides created an archway over the two-lane street. Old-fashioned iron columns with hanging lamps provided light, but they were spread far apart, so moonlight glowed in between. There were other people out, walking to and from the inn, their conversations and laughter echoing through the treetops.
“Good observation. If we don’t pick up the pace, we may get wet. Summer storms aren’t uncommon this time of year.”
She didn’t pick up the pace. In fact, she may have slowed a bit. “Are you afraid of a little rain, cowboy?”
He laughed. It hit her square in the chest, and she wished they were under a streetlight so she could get a good look at his dimples.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
“You think I can’t handle getting wet? Because I can. Contrary to what you might think, I won’t melt.” She only did that against him. With his arms around her. Which couldn’t happen again if she hoped to spare herself any more unwanted feelings.
Chapter Fifteen
Three days until the wedding
All Maverick heard was “getting wet” and his mind immediately went to the gutter. He pictured Kennedy in his house. In his bed. Where they’d put their mouths to good use on each other’s bodies, no talking allowed.
He gave a little shake of his head. No sense in going there. Besides the fact that they simply liked to goad each other, she’d be gone in a few days and his life would go back to normal. Normal being his quiet, controlled existence. No smart, interesting blondes allowed.
“I’m sure there’s nothing you can’t handle, Shortcake.” Truth right there. She’d been through not one, but two life-saving surgeries, dealt with her parents’ divorce, a jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and become a doctor. All with a positive attitude, as far as he could tell.
She glanced up at him in surprise. Yeah, he’d just confessed he thought highly of her. A compliment was due where a compliment was due. Especially after his somewhat chauvinistic remark about getting wet.
“Why do you do that?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Act closed-off one minute and accessible the next. It’s really annoying.”
“You confuse me,” he said honestly. This was what a cold beer and delicious burger did to him: made him drop his guard. The sultry air and gorgeous woman who was an open book might have something to do with it, too.
And maybe, just maybe, he’d finally tired of fighting with her.
“You confuse me, too,” she admitted.
“Something we agree on,” he said lightly, even though his stomach tightened in anticipation of what their honesty meant.
“We have more in common than we thought.” Her statement was a simple one, but man, did it feel heavy. Significant. Because they did. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, other than still confused.
“Let’s not get carried away,” he teased, hoping to diminish the impact of her observation.
She laughed. “Okay, cowboy, I’ll be sure not to yank on your country card.”
“My country card?”
“Man card. Country card. Same thing in your case. And then I arrived and baffled you with my endearing city personality.”
It was his turn to laugh. Again. She said some funny things—things that made him feel lighter and apparently led to him smiling more. “It might surprise you to know I don’t think all city girls are bad.” Nicole had been a city girl. One he wouldn’t have allowed himself to fall for if it hadn’t been for Kennedy.
“Just me, then?” she teased.
“You do own a distinct place in my memory bank.”
“Spank bank?” she said, loud enough to be broadcast to anyone within a mile radius.
Looked like his mind wasn’t the only one diving to extracurricular activities. “I said memory bank.”
“Oh!”
“I like yours better, though.” And he liked the blush on her cheeks as they walked by a streetlight.
“Do you now?” she fired back.
He should have known she wouldn’t shy away from any topic. He imagined she’d been in all sorts of interesting situations in the emergency room. But that didn’t intrigue him nearly as much as her personal life suddenly did.
“I’m all for fun between two mutually consenting adults,” he said.
“You and fun? I’d like to see that.”
“Are you implying you want me to spank you?”
“No!” She gave him a playful push. “I like my bottom left alone, thank you very much.”
“What do you like, then?”
“We are not having this conversation.”
“Why not? You always want to talk.”
“Not about this.” She sounded so unwavering, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to push her further or let her off the hook. The latter was definitely easier, but the former had him wondering if he made her nervous. Had she thought about their kiss outside his house as often as he had?
“I was spanked once,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed like she didn’t believed him.
“I was seven and it was my birthday party. I didn’t want to do it, but Cole called me a baby, so I did. Seven swats and one for good luck.”
She giggled. “I thought that tradition died a really long time ago.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was something my brother cooked up. I got him back on his birthday, though. My mom made him an Oreo cookie cake the night before, and I snuck out of bed and replaced all the cream fillings with toothpaste. It took a long time but was the best revenge ever.”
“You little devil. Was your mom angry?”
“She was. I had to buy him a new cake with my own money, but it was worth it.”
His hand brushed hers, and he fought the urge to lace their fingers together. To further connect them. This wasn’t a date. It wasn’t anything special. Yet the air rustled around them with potential…because he didn’t normally do this. He didn’t spend a lot of time alone with women other than his mom and sister.
The hermit thing is getting old, Hunter had said the other morning. And while true, it didn’t change the person he was: a loner with wanderlust. He couldn’t wait to hop on an airplane next week for a myriad of reasons.