Page 10 of Found By the Surly Ranger

6

JACE

I’d forgotten that I owned candles until Kitchen Queen summoned me for dinner and I saw the table set nicely with flickering tea lights.

I'd also been lost in my notes for so long that I didn't even notice that she changed at some point. Kara now stands in front of me in a bright peach-colored dress, her hair twisted half up in a clip, and a smudge of brown eye makeup that makes the blue of her eyes even more intense.

Reaching for her feels like the most natural thing in the world. My arms pull her close, kissing her gently as I feel her sexy body instantly pressed close against mine. "You didn't need to go to this much trouble, gorgeous. But it's very sweet of you."

Her smile warms me from the inside out. "Well, I didn't know how long it had been since you'd had someone cook for you."

"I go to Fran's…that's the diner in town…at least once a week. Plus dinner at Mom's maybe once a month." My lips sweep a slow looping path around the shell of her ear, then I nuzzle just below. "And I'm about to be investing in a friend's restaurant soon. I can't wait to take you on a proper date there. Or anywhere else you like, really. How about we go for a scenic drive to Spring Grove and I take you to the Evergreen Pub for a fantastic steak dinner someday?"

Kara smiles shyly. "I'm certainly not a dating expert, by any stretch. But maybe we could pretend tonight?"

"Baby, this isn't pretending, and you know it."

I can't believe how much trouble she went to. Fresh spinach, walnut and pear salad. Fresh-baked (!!!) herbed rolls. Lasagna. She even found the good dishes.

We sit down, and I reach out to squeeze her knee. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Kara."

Her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink, her eyes glowing in the candlelight. "You can't mean that."

"I do indeed. Which is why I am about to lay down the law here."

She looks at me, pursing her lips and arching her eyebrows, as if she already suspects I'm going to say something ridiculous.

"You're breathtaking. Sexy. Sweet and smart. And now you're trying to show off by being a brilliant chef as well. That's just out of line. I'm going to have to insist that you settle down."

She crosses her arms, subtly kicking my shin. "Eat your dinner before it gets cold," she commands.

Reaching out, I gently grab the shoulder of her dress, pulling her toward me for a slow, sultry kiss. "There. I was more hungry for you than for the food, delicious as it looks."

Her eyes snap closed as her cheeks redden again. "Let's eat."

Just a few bites of salad, and I'm in Heaven. Kara licks a miniscule walnut fragment from her bottom lip, and half of my blood instantly rushes south. She has no idea how irresistibly sexy she is. "So," I ask, "since the app you've been working on isn't going to pan out, what are your plans for the future now?"

"I don't know. I've always wanted to work on something in art and tech, but I'm not a programmer. I guess I'll have to go back to waitressing for now."

"Do you love it?"

"No, but I'm okay at it. It pays for my apartment, food, books." Her lips are so inviting when she smirks. "Occasional frivolous purchases like lip balm, or a new sweater."

"If you're not super attached to Kingsville, perhaps you might consider moving someday?" I'm probably being too blunt, but I need to know that it's at least a possibility.

Her perfect white teeth sink into her bottom lip for a moment. "I guess. I mean, there's nothing really tying me there."

"Good. That's all I need to know. For now."

We dig in, alternating between eating, chatting, and staring into each other's eyes. This connection between us feels magical. This is what has been missing from my life, and I wasn't even bright enough to realize it.

After dinner, I insist on taking care of cleanup while she lounges on the couch. Then I start a fire, and we fall down an amazing rabbit hole of sharing hilarious stories from our childhoods. I tell her about some of the weird and wonderful things that have happened on the mountain with my extended family. Kara tells me funny anecdotes from her University days with her friends, even though it sounds like most of them have moved away.

Then she sighs in exasperation. "That's why I thought Brad was trustworthy. He was a friend of Steven's, and he and I were such great buddies at school."

I stiffen momentarily, picturing her at school with who knows how many guys looking at her. I've never felt so possessive about anyone before. "I get it. We want to trust friends of friends. But you never know if their radar for who's good and who's not is calibrated the same way as yours."

She nods. "Exactly. I feel like an absolute idiot now for trusting him. I should have paid more attention to the way he was getting fussier and meaner. I should've looked into his other companies instead of just taking his word for it. I should have?—"

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