She stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh. She’d only dragged Tommy to the penguin exhibit about a thousand times since it opened. “Know-it-all.”
As she headed for the Coldwater Quest exhibit, he snagged her hand and moved in front of her, guiding them through the maze of people until the penguin exhibit opened up in front of them. She pressed closer to his back, enjoying the way his cologne wafted up to fill her senses.
Once he nudged his way into an open spot closer to the observation area, he switched positions with her, shielding her with his body from all the other people trying to press forward.
As much as she loved watching the penguins waddle around and dive through the water, the only thing she could concentrate on was the feel of Tommy’s chest pressing into her back. Her breath quickened and butterflies attacked her stomach.
His arm shot past her to the left. “Look at that one.”
Inhaling, she followed to where he pointed, spotting the penguin that swam in front of the glass, bobbing up and down, entertaining the spectators. “That’s so—”
The word “cute” was lost as his arms wrapped around her waist and he put his chin on her shoulder.
“They’re called Jackass penguins.”
Julie stifled a laugh. He said that every time they came to the exhibit. The man just found the name hilarious.
“You mean like you,” she responded as always, covering his arms with hers and leaning her head back against his shoulder. So this was what it was like being his girlfriend. She’d always wondered, imagined.
He’d never actually dated anyone steadily, so she’d had no clue what kind of boyfriend he’d be. If he was a PDA sort of guy or if he preferred just holding a girl’s hand. She liked that he was so willing to hold her in public, no hesitation about it.
His chuckle vibrated against her back, and she inhaled sharply as his lips found her neck and nipped. A delish thrill went through her. They’d done this routine many times, but he’d never responded to her quip like this—and she loved this way more than the elbow nudge she used to get.
“Be nice,” he said against her ear. Oh yes, Tommy was shaping up to be pretty good boyfriend material.
Unfortunately, that realization was making her have X-rated girlfriend thoughts in a PG establishment.
Got to keep it light. She craned her neck to look back at him. “The truth hurts.”
He stared down at her, his eyes dipping to her lips. Tension filled the air between them. Would it always be like this between them? God, she hoped so.
“I think I’d like to see the whales.”
“Okay.” His voice was deeper than it had been before.
He recaptured her hands and led her to the Beluga whale exhibit. The large tank took up one whole wall, casting a blue hue to Tommy’s face. When he found an open area, again he positioned her in front of him and cocooned his body around hers. He did the same thing through the next two exhibits, and as they watched a scuba diver feed all the fish in the largest tank. He never let her go, always had a hand on her somewhere.
He made her feel so protected. More so than he’d done when they were just BFFs—and he’d been pretty damn good at making her feel protected even then. She leaned back against his chest and let the back of her head rest against him, loving it when he kissed the top of her hair.
She loved this man. Wanted a future with him. Saw a future with him for the first time ever, with no doubt or trepidations.
“Can we see Dolphin’s Tales before we go?”
An amused smile came to his lips. “Anything you want.”
She believed he would try to do exactly that.
As they made their way back to the foyer, Julie said, “I need to run to the restroom real quick.”
“I’ll wait right here.”
After she came out, she couldn’t find Tommy. She finally spotted him in the middle of a group, signing autographs, smiling and laughing. As she moved toward him, his gaze connected with hers. He sent her an acknowledging nod, then glanced away again. Ice formed in her stomach. There hadn’t even been any warmth in his gaze, not a smile, not even a wink. She’d been completely dismissed.
All the ugly feelings she had from the past bombarded her as she stood outside the circle, watching him.
My God. She’d been so wrong. Tommy was going to change again.
For ten minutes, she waited. Finally, he broke away from the group and sauntered over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and steered her toward the show. “Sorry about that. I’m all yours again.”
But it was too late. The damage had been done, and she felt like crap.
Was he really all hers? Was he ever really going to be?
Judging by the evidence, the answer was a resounding no.