Chapter 3

3

NIKKI

I 've spent the past night and day in a bit of a zombie state. I should probably talk to Harper and Jocelyn about it, but I just can't bring myself to, because they've heard me talk about my dating rules for quite a while. They know why I have the rules in place, too. Yet here I am, getting ready to go out with a guy I just met.

That's one comforting thing about being in a small town, though. If Carson were some kind of lunatic, we would've heard about it by now. Plus, from the way Myrna looked right into my eyes when she told me Carson was a good guy, I believe her.

And we're only here for a month. So if anything happens between us, it's already very clear that it's only temporary.

At five o'clock I get a text.

Unknown caller: This is Special Agent Carson. I'm on my way downtown. Where is the rendezvous point?

My fingers are shaking slightly as I enter him into my phone as a contact.

I'm at Jim's Pizza.

Carson: Noted. See you soon.

I quickly text the girls and tell them not to bother picking me up today, and that I'll explain later. Then I hurry to the restroom to brush my hair and put on some lip balm. By the time I return, Carson is at the cash register, paying my bill.

It was only for two cups of coffee, yet it's still a lovely gesture. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

He shrugs, then holds the door for me. Walking right past him, I get a better sense of just how huge this guy is. Probably around six foot three, and practically a bodybuilder. Yet he's not hard, or aggressive. There's something soft about him. Sweet. He's gorgeous and hysterically funny, and then that ruggedness… I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's making me incredibly curious.

He opens the passenger door to the huge pickup parked out front with a tarp thrown over some gear in the back. Then he extends his hand. "I went with the truck so you'll get a better view. Fortunately this isn't a date, so I don't have to try to impress you with one of my fancier cars."

"Yeah, dodged a bullet there." His hand feels so good in mine, and I might be imagining it, but I could swear he holds it for longer than necessary as he's tucking me into the seat.

Every time his skin touches mine, my heart melts a little more. The physical reaction makes sense. I mean, he's the sexiest man I've ever seen. Of course his heat and rugged sensuality are going to turn on every woman for miles. That part is logical. It's the charming sweetness that is knocking me for a loop. I thought I had truly trained my mind to not pay that sort of attention to men, yet my mental wall seems to have totally vanished.

Carson drives very casually. He obviously knows every inch of these roads and we cruise out of town slowly so that he can point out landmarks, then speeds up a little until we're deep in the forest. All the time, we chat lightly about the town, his auto shop, and my courses at school. He's so easy to talk to that I feel completely comfortable with this strange man.

It's not just a scenic drive, although he has fascinating anecdotes about every area we pass. It's getting to know each other. Honestly, I could listen to him talk all day. Not just because his deep voice is unbelievably sexy and makes my lower belly flutter. His sense of humor is very appealing, too.

The sun is just starting to set when he turns off the main road into a laneway that is little more than a gravel trail. A few minutes later, we pull up in a little nook at the edge of a rocky ridge. Beyond that, it's as if the world just falls away. The valley opens up to reveal a spectacular visa – endless trees, occasional rocky outcrops, and mountain peaks in the distance.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" he murmurs quietly. I turn to see him staring directly at me. My body twitches from head to toe, my pulse suddenly confused. I'm not used to anyone looking at me with that kind of expression in their eyes.

"The forest…" I sputter awkwardly. "Yes. Very beautiful."

He throws me a saucy grin, then says, "Hold on a minute." He turns the truck around carefully, parking so that the rear is facing directly toward the sunset's vivid orange and purple streaks.

Carson helps me out of the truck. This time his hands definitely stay on my waist for a moment. "Are you hungry?"

"Oh. Um, I guess so. I was thinking I'd just eat when I get home."

"Nah, you're hungry now. Trust me." His head dips to breathe in my ear, giving me shivers. "This fresh air gives people an appetite."

It's funny – if my mother or an overenthusiastic waitress told me to eat more, I'd have my back up in an instant. Carson, though, has an energy that is totally new to me. Pure caring.

He hesitates with our mouths barely four inches apart. Oh my… Is he going to kiss me? I didn't think that's what I was interested in, but suddenly I've never wanted anything more. A flush of heat brands my chest, my throat, my cheeks…and then he's gone, stepping away to the back of the truck.

I'm left breathless and nearly dizzy from the close encounter. So much for having your shields up, girl .

Carson jumps easily into the back of the truck and sweeps the tarp away before offering me a hand.

My mouth falls open in shock. The truck bed has been covered in a sheet of fake grass, and on top of the grass are two lounge chairs with a cooler in the middle. "There aren't any parks or patios out here," he explains as he helps me scramble up to him. "I figure a light snack in the woods doesn't count as a date in your"…he wiggles his fingers in my face…"mental calculations of what a date should be."

His grin is devastatingly sexy, but then he turns serious. "I'm really not trying to disrespect your rules, Nikki. But whatever you're afraid of, I just want you to know… You don't have to be afraid of me."

"I'm not," I say automatically. And it's true. I trust him. Probably more than I should, for someone I just met.

In minutes he has me settled in a lounge chair, admiring the sunset while eating fine charcuterie and sipping a lightly seasoned mint tea. Before he sits, Carson wraps a buttery soft green blanket around my shoulders.

"When it turns cool at sunset, there's a bit of a breeze through here."

"Thank you."

As we chat about the forest, discussing the various bird calls we hear, a new and wonderful feeling settles through me as cozy as the blanket around me. I feel spoiled. Pampered. Cared for. My upbringing was often stressed and scattered, and I'm not used to this. It feels incredible. I sink into this sensation, hoping that it lasts forever.

"You're breathtaking when you smile like that."

My head twists to catch his eyes dancing as they gaze at me. "Like what?"

"Like you're relaxed enough to let the sunset soak right into you."

"Huh. I guess I am."

When we're finished with our elaborate snack, Carson sets the tray and our mugs on the cooler. Then he reaches out to lay his hand palm up on my armrest. This is a pivotal moment. If I'm really going to stick to my guns and refuse to date anyone, I categorically cannot take his hand.

I take his hand anyway.

His skin is so warm against mine, and I can't help smiling as he squeezes my fingers gently. "I really like you, Nikki. Whatever your thoughts are about dating, they have nothing to do with me personally, right?"

"No."

"Would you be open to at least a test date tomorrow night?" Before I can answer, he rolls off his chaise lounge to kneel beside mine. "Honestly. A test. You can check me out. Think about things. Get your bearings. If there's anything you don't like, you just tell me it's over and" – he snaps his fingers in the air – "that's it."

"Carson, I just…" A heavy sigh rolls through me. The light is growing dim, but even in the fading blueish purple light of the sunset, he is so striking, so rugged and raw and sexy, that I honestly do want to reach out for him.

"Tell me," he whispers, resting his hands on my knees.

"Let's not get into all of the details," I say. "I've just always had it in my head that I need to wait several more years."

His mesmerizing lips pull to the side in a saucy smile. "So, I'm a car guy. I have options besides this truck. I could always pick you up in the F12 Berlinetta."

"Do you think that being seen in a Ferrari is going to push me over the edge?" I laugh.

"I'll let you drive."

My mouth falls open. Really? I hesitate. "Is it by any chance…bright red?"

"Of course."

He moves forward, practically crawling over to whisper in my ear. "You know that the goal of a first date is usually to get a good night kiss. Once you lock that down, you're pretty much guaranteed a second date."

My heart is pounding in my chest, the rhythm off kilter as I try to catch my breath. He smells like the forest itself, and his warmth is its own force of nature. "What are you getting at?" I whisper.

"I'm not positive, but I think I can see in your eyes that you're hoping I can find a way to wriggle around your rules." His dazzling grin is almost hypnotic. "So it follows that if you say I can kiss you now, that kind of makes this a first date. Which means tomorrow will be our second date, and the pressure is totally gone."

My tongue darts across my bottom lip as my stomach flutters. "It feels like you're a bit proud of yourself, dancing all over my rules."

His head shakes slightly. "Not at all. I'm not trying to be a naughty boy and get away with something here. I'm a mechanic. I test systems and find flaws. It's what I do." His fingers begin to play with the edge of the blanket right along my collarbone, making me shiver. "I can see how you react to me, Nikki. I feel that you want me. I honestly don't see what harm could come from you saying, ‘Yes, Carson, I think you should kiss me now'."

Maybe he has hypnotized me, because I sputter, "Yes…" and then freeze in shock.

"Close enough."

He moves in slowly, teasing, his lips barely brushing mine on the way to my ear. He breathes, "Good thing you said yes. I was about to go crazy if you didn't." His mouth trails a string of kisses along my temple, then down my cheekbone.

"How crazy?" I somehow manage to gasp.

"Enough that I could go all Medieval on the situation." His eyebrow raises. "We're talking burn the village or something. Honestly, Nikki, the only way to save the innocent townspeople from the marauding beast is to kiss me like you really mean it."

I grin, turning my head barely an inch to catch his mouth against mine.

I assume that as a first kiss it would be something light. A test. But it takes all of two seconds for the tiny peck to dissolve into flames. The heat courses through my body, igniting my breasts, my inner thighs, my soul.

Before I know what's happening, Carson has rolled us onto the fake grass, with me on top of him. Suddenly, every last reservation inside me crumbles, and I'm kissing him as if my very life depended on it. His tongue explores my mouth as his hands roam over my back…my cheek…every part of me he can reach.

"Nikki," he growls low in his throat, "I've needed you from the first second I saw you."

I don't know what to say to that, so I try to show him. My left hand inches down his sculpted abs as my right fingers tangle in the back of his hair. I realize that I'm spread on top of him, knees wide, in a position that might look completely obscene to anyone walking by.

Yet Carson doesn't grind against me. Doesn't make a move to touch me anywhere other than on my back, my throat, my face.

We sink into the kiss as time seems to stop, leaving me wondering… If this feels so good, could all my fears be completely unfounded?