Page 26 of Love & Rockets

“Dinner without a chaperone.”

He sounded so sure she’d say yes, Darla didn’t know if she actually had the strength to reject the proposition. “We’ve got one now and it doesn’t seem to be impeding things any.”

The observation coaxed a wry smile out of him. “Depends on your definition of impediment.”

“What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me if Grace weren’t in the next room, we’d be going at each other on the floor?”

“I was thinking the counter would work.” He tipped his head to look past her, a speculative frown tugging the corners of his mouth down. “I think I’m tall enough.”

She gaped at him, fascinated by the funky mix of awkwardness and arrogance that should have been annoying, but proved to be damn near irresistible. A giddy laugh bubbled up from some smooshy girlie place deep inside her. “You’re serious.”

“Absolutely,” he answered, returning his laser-like focus to her.

Never in all the years since they placed the tiny squirming human she’d carried inside her body in her arms had she ever wished she weren’t Grace’s mom. And she didn’t now. She wished she’d sent her daughter to Connie Cade’s for the night. But how could she do that when Grace was the reason Jake was there in the first place?

“I don’t do this,” she said slowly.

“Do what?”

“Mix things up like this. Dating and Gracie,” she explained with a dismissive wave. “I don’t let the two co-mingle.”

“Well, it’s going to be hard for me to help Grace with her project if we don’t mingle.”

“But you and I—”

“Definitely need to mingle,” he finished for her. “So we figure things out. A new angle.” He flashed her a mind-melting smile. “We’ll explore new territory.”

Oh, the innuendo packed in those few words. “I haven’t said yes.”

“Yet.” His smile widened into a grin. “You can think it over while I help Grace move the scope to her room and reset. Then, I think I’d better get out of here.”

He swooped in and stole another kiss. This one hard and hot. Equally packed with promise and demand. And, damn, if she wasn’t panting for more by the time he thrust her back toward the counter. Her chest heaved as he ran his knuckles down the curve of her cheek.

“Think about it.” He caught one of the curls behind her ear and rubbed her hair between his thumb and forefinger. “Either way, I’ll be out of your hair in about ten minutes.”

He was out of the kitchen before she found her voice. “Yes.”

His step hitched, but he didn’t turn back to look at her. At least, not right away. First, he nodded as if he were accepting nothing less than he expected, then he glanced back at the kitchen but didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’ll, uh, call you and we’ll figure things out. Sorry to leave you with the cleanup.”

Then she saw the fist at his side unfurl and realized hadn’t been as sure as he wanted her to think he was. Then and there she realized Jake Dalton was more than the charmingly absent-minded man of science he liked to show the world. No, in his quiet way, this guy was a risk-taker. The revelation should have made her wary, but she didn’t feel put-on or played. Instead, she found she liked his reckless streak. He was a cowboy. Han Solo playing poker-faced while he bluffed his way into getting what he wanted.

Jake Dalton, space cowboy. Yeah, she liked that image a lot.

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