Page 49 of The Art of Loving Lacy
His arm grazed her shoulder, and Lacy looked up at him. She loved how tall he was, how thick his chest was, and when he reached for the fish, she remembered how good his strong hands had felt on her body.
“I don’t think too many people would call this fish cute,” he said. “But then again, you’re not like anyone else I know.”
Lacy felt her face flush. She looked down.
“Sorry, Lace. I don’t mean to embarrass you. We’re going to be getting to the models of sharks next. Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“I’m okay,” she said. She contemplated reaching for his hand. Even if she wasn’t nervous yet, she could say she was.
“You sure?”
His eyes were so sincere that she couldn’t breathe. She smiled. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“The next one is a black-tip reef shark,” he said. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her forward.
When the warmth of his hand touched her back, she realized how much she enjoyed his nonsexual touch. Who was she kidding? She enjoyed everything from the way he looked at her to the way he’d had to grit his teeth earlier in the day to keep from kissing her.
“See the distinctive black markings? These guys are fast,” Dane said.
Her heartbeat sped up as she touched the model, but Lacy couldn’t tell if it was from the model of the shark or from her thoughts of Dane.
Dane ran his palm over the model beside Lacy’s hand. Their thumbs touched, and he looked down at her.
“You still okay?” he asked. His eyes darkened seductively as he held her gaze.
“I think so,” she said.This is harder than the darn sharks.
“Should we move forward?” Dane asked.
Yes. Gosh, yes.His eyes held her captive.
He motioned to the next model, and Lacy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She forced her legs to move toward the next model.Get a grip. He’s doing something nice for you and you’re acting like a schoolgirl with a crush.
Lacy followed him to the next model, and when she reached for his hand, it was to settle her nerves.
“I’m right here. You’re okay.” Dane held her hand tightly and took a step closer so his chest was against her back.
Lacy nodded. She leaned back enough to feel the security of him. She stared at the model of the massive bull shark.
“That’s a bull shark. They’re very aggressive,” Dane said.
I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.“One of the most common sharks,” she said.
“Yeah, they’re pretty common in warm waters,” Dane said. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she said. “It was easier to deal with the smaller ones.” She turned to face him. Her eyes were an inch from his chest. She looked up. “I know they’re not real. I’m not sure why I’m so nervous.” Lacy wondered if what Danica thought was true. Was she nervous because of Daneandthe sharks, or was her heart beating double time solely because of one or the other?
“Let’s not push it,” he said. He nodded down the hall.
Lacy followed his gaze to a sign that said,MEET THE SHARKS. She had to know if the issue was Dane or the sharks. She hadn’t had a panic attack yet, so maybe it had less to do with Dane after all.
“I want to try to go in, but I can’t make any promises,” Lacy said.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea, Lace.”
She drew on the advice Danica had given her.I’m fine. They’re in tanks. It’s okay.“I don’t have to go all the way in if I get too nervous, but I think I want to try.”
He held her hand. “It’s your call, but if you feel anything bad, you have to clue me in.”
