Page 3 of Kane

She ran her fingers over her tingling bottom lip. “At least I know I won’t be the only one staying up tonight reliving our kiss.”

He stroked her hair and tipped his forehead to hers. “You were never going to be the only one. I’ll be thinking about it all night.”

It would be so easy to fall into his arms again, but too much distraction would torpedo all her careful planning. Squeezing her eyes shut for fortitude, she broke contact and knelt on the blanket with the picnic basket. Shadows edged the nearby trees, signaling the transition from dusk to dark. The park would be closing soon, but she’d timed their meal to avoid as much of the Georgia summer heat as possible. Even at seven-thirty, though, the thin cotton of her dress stuck to her skin, and she knew her forehead probably glistened with perspiration.

At least she didn’t have any makeup to melt off. Kane always made it a point to tell her she was beautiful without it.

“Sit with me. Eat one of these damn hot dogs.” She patted the ground beside her. “You know I only packed them for you.”

Kane settled on the blanket, but they didn’t eat right away. They held hands and watched lightning bugs flit around the trees and laughed at the mom chasing a toddler making a bee-line to the water.

Eventually, Kane fished his foil-wrapped treasure out of the basket. “One day I’m going to get you to try one. It’s positively un-American you won’t eat a hot dog.”

Shaking her head emphatically, she swallowed the bite she’d taken from her PB&J. All the food she’d packed had been simple fare; cooking wasn’t one of her strengths. “I may be crazy about you, but I’m not crazy. Do you have any idea what’s in those things?” She shuddered.

“You’re crazy about me?” He waggled his eyebrows and finished the second half of his hot dog in one bite.

Her face heated. A smartass quip hovered on her lips, but she swallowed it down and went with the simple truth. “Yeah.”

His smile widened with her quiet admission, and he ran his hand up the side of her arm. “How crazy are we talking about?” he teased gently.

“Somewhere between Nick Nolte’s mugshot and Tom Cruise jumping on the sofa with Oprah.”

He pursed his lips in mock concern. “Pretty crazy, then.” His fingers snaked around the column of her neck, and he pulled her closer, his breath hot on her skin. “It’s a good thing I’m every bit as crazy about you.”

She leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers. The desire shooting deep into her core felt positively audacious in public. When she pulled away, his stare locked on her face.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered. “I need to be alone with you.”

Great minds think alike.

A make-out session in her backseat would not only scratch her itch, but it would provide the perfect inspiration for some toe-curling dreams in the nights to come.

Nodding, she grabbed the picnic basket while Kane snatched the blanket from the ground. Together, they speed-walked to her car.

She stopped short when he grabbed her shoulder.

“Look. A shooting star. Make a wish.”

Glancing up, she caught the tail end of the light blazing across the sky.

I wish Kane Hale would be my first.She blinked.And my last.

“What did you wish for, baby?” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I wished nothing will ever come between us.”

She slapped his shoulder. “No. If you say it out loud, it won’t come true.”

Taking the picnic basket from her hand, Kane put it in the trunk, then laced his fingers with hers. “Hush. We control our fate. Not luck. Not the stars. So, you’d better get used to this face, because it’s never going to change, and there is nothing in this world that’s going to take me away from your side.”

She hesitated. “What about the club?”

His father wouldn’t stop pushing for Kane to join the MC where he was a founding member. Not only were his parents deep in the life, his brother, Scott, was too.

As much as she adored Kane, she wanted no part of his world. Those guys treated women like crap. Even the “old ladies” like Kane’s mom were second-class citizens, considered barely a step above talking blow-up dolls.

The guys she’d met from the crew? Rude, crass, and violent. Probably criminals. And they were Kane’s family.

“I’m not going to join. I told you. I’ve never wanted that kind of life.” He kissed her hand. “I want a real relationship. I want a home and a job and kids who aren’t embarrassed by their dad when he comes to their school to pick them up.”

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