Page 37 of Devoted

“Anytime, babe. Skydiving next, then?” I tease her as she rests her hands and on my chest and the last person arrives on the platform.

She cocks an eyebrow at me and then moves out of my grasp. “Don’t push it.”

As we make our way through the course, I stand in awe while I watch Jess’s confidence build, her exhilaration take flight on each segment of rope we careen across. She starts to lean back as she moves, looking up at the sky above her, and waving at me each time she arrives at the platform. I continued to go before her so I wouldn’t miss her reactions and watching her soak up every moment of our adventure.

By the time we’re done, the sun has almost set completely and Jess’s adrenaline is through the roof.

“My God! I can’t believe how fun that was!”

I laugh with pride as I shut her car door and walk around to my side to join her. “I’m glad you loved it.”

“I seriously did. It was like… it scared me, but in that intense way that you feel more in anticipation than fear. Does that make sense?”

“Absolutely.” I pull onto the main road and head for the restaurant I picked for dinner. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You get that moment of being scared, but then a part of you knows if you just push past it, you’ll get this once in a lifetime experience you can’t possibly regret.”

“I’m starting to understand. I still don’t think I’m ready to jump out of a plane, but zip lining was the perfect baby step to helping me conquer that fear, so thank you, Brooks.”

My hand finds hers and I brush my lips across her skin again, a move I’m becoming all too comfortable with. “You’re welcome. I hope you’re hungry now.”

“My blood is still pumping pretty hard. But I’m sure once I smell food, I’ll be starving.”

It takes a good ten minutes to arrive at The Rusty Bull, a steakhouse that Cooper actually recommended to me when I asked him about the zip lining course. Seeing as how I haven’t been around Emerson Falls in years, I wanted to see if he knew anything about the company or experience. Given that Clara is pregnant, they aren’t exactly taking part in any extreme sports right now, but he told me that he’s heard nothing but excellent reviews on the place. And then he added in that if we were venturing to Hyatt Lake, we had to eat here for dinner.

“This is one of the best pieces of meat I’ve ever had.” Jess’s mouth is full, but I manage to make out her words as she inhales her steak across from me.

I can’t help but cock an eyebrow at her, which only grants me an eye roll from her.

“Seriously? You would turn that into something dirty.”

I shrug and finish chewing my bite before taking a sip of my beer. “I’m a man. That’s what we do.”

Jess points her fork across the table at me with a fiery glare that makes me itch to reach across the table and pull her onto my lap. “Tell me this, Dr. Bennet. How is it that you are this serious and professional doctor at the hospital, but when we’re not there, I feel like you’re just a big kid?”

I lean back in my chair. “Honestly?”

“Of course…”

“When I’m not at the hospital, I try not to take life too seriously. You know how depressing that job can be. When we’re outside of those walls, all I want to do is focus on living, soaking up those moments that get cut short for a lot of people. You never know when your life can change in an instant.” My thoughts instantly veer towards my mom as Jess studies me.

“I love that you can live your life that way, Brooks. I’m jealous of you.”

“Really?” Her statement pikes my interest. “Why is that?”

“Well, obviously I have a hard time doing that. Hell, I’d never done anything even close to zip lining until today. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel like you arranging that date forced me to have some fun, and I can’t remember the last time I did that. It was mentally freeing for me as well. I’m always so focused on the future and what’s coming next. I think I need that reminder to just live in the moment occasionally. So, thank you again.”

“Jess, it was my absolute pleasure. Watching you come alive today was incredible. Your smile is infectious, sweetheart. You seriously made my day and this date more meaningful than I thought it could be.” It’s borderline frightening to me how enamored I am with this girl already.

Jess stares down at her plate for a minute, pushing her food around before she rests her fork on the side. “Brooks. I want to ask you something, but I don’t want you to think you have to say yes, okay?”

She has my attention, particularly because at this point, I feel like Jess could ask me anything and I would say yes. “Okay…”

“So, you know Piper, from work?” I nod, waiting for her to continue. “Well, she’s getting married in a few weeks. I’m one of the bridesmaids, but I don’t have a date. I guess I was wondering if you’d like to be my date?”

God, she’s so cute when she’s nervous. Why the fuck does that turn me on so much?

“Jess, I would love nothing more than to be your date to their wedding? Were you really afraid to ask me that?”

She lifts her shoulders up and down and then timidly smiles over at me, biting her lip again. “A little.” Her tone is playful, but all I want to do is yank her from this table and show her the real reason why we’re here—that her gorgeous face, her charming wit, and mouthwatering body make me hard as a fucking rock.

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