Page 54 of Dangerous Pursuit

“I suppose so,” he answers.

I look at my mom, and she’s practically glowing while staring at us. Shoot, I hope this was a good idea. She might be reading too much into it and seeing more than what’s there. I don’t want her to be disappointed if this doesn’t last, but I can tell she’s over the moon already.

The waiter comes to clear the table, and my mom asks for the check. “Your dinner has already been taken care of, ma’am. Happy birthday, Mia. We hope you enjoyed your evening and come back soon.”

I look right at Jackson. “Did you do this?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

Mom takes it from there. “Thank you, Jackson. That was very nice of you and a lovely surprise. I’ll get going and let you two enjoy your evening. Mia, happy birthday, honey.” She stands and comes over to give me a hug.

“Thank you, Mom. You don’t need to wait up,” I say quietly in her ear.

Jackson stands. “Sofia, it was so nice to meet you. You’ve raised an amazing daughter.”He just hugged my mom. This is so weird.“Why don’t we walk you out.” He reaches for my hand, not letting go as we follow her to the exit.

On the sidewalk, Mom turns to us. “Thank you again, Jackson. I’m glad we had a chance to visit. I’d tell you to take care of my girl, but something tells me I don’t have to.” She smiles up at him, completely smitten.

“You sure don’t. She’s my top priority,” he states matter-of-factly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mia,” Mom says before walking to her car.

It doesn’t go unnoticed that she didn’t say “tomorrow morning.”

Jackson

I turn Mia so she’s facing me. “Hey, birthday girl,” I say softly before cupping her cheeks and leaning down to kiss her until she’s melting.

Pulling back, I look her in the eyes. “God, you’re beautiful. So, before we leave here, I’d like to make sure you’re okay with what I have planned.”

“And what is that?” she asks, still dazed from the kiss.

“I wanted to bring you to my place and give you your birthday presents… then take it from there. How does that sound? And before you answer, I want you to know I have no expectations. Where this night goes is completely in your hands.”

“In my hands, huh?” She snickers and raises her eyebrow.

“Oh my God, that’s not what I meant. Christ woman. You’re in control tonight—as in nothing happens you don’t want. Would you like to come over?” Her face gets serious, and I’m nervous as she considers.

I held back today when she basically served herself up on a platter, but I won’t be holding back from going as far as she’ll allow tonight. My willpower has reached its limit.

“Well, you did mention presents.” She grins up at me, raising her eyebrows and making me laugh at her playfulness.

“Oh, Mia, don’t ever stop being my little girl.” I kiss her forehead. “You ready to get out of here?”

She nods and I waste no time leading her to the car, excited to have her alone at last.

It made me happy that her mom already knew about me. I didn’t think Mia would have told her about us, but the fact that she did means she might be as serious about this as I am. I’m glad I didn’t upset her by crashing dinner or introducing myself as her boyfriend—not that I’d feel too bad if it had. The sooner she realizes where my head’s at, the better.

We’re both settled in our seats as I pull onto the road. As always, I’m holding her hand and bring it to my lips for a kiss. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“You showing up was a surprise tonight.”

“Good surprise or bad surprise?” I ask.

“A good one. I’m thinking I already like you way too much, and I was upset when you left today. The fact that it affected me so much scares the crap out of me.”

I don’t know what to say. While I’m deliriously happy to hear those words, I don’t want her to be scared. But damn, I can’t say that those aren’t the same thoughts running through my own mind. Then it hits me—that’s exactly what I need to tell her.

“Would it make you feel better to know that you took the words right out of my mouth? I had my plan in place, but when I told you I’d be out the rest of the day and saw the look in your eyes, I almost backpedaled. I scheduled dinner with my friends to keep me away until it was time. Mia, the intensity of my feelings scares me too. I can assure you, you’re not alone in that.” I squeeze her hand.

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