“You’re fine.” He covered her hand with his own and for a second she didn’t know which way he was going to slide it. Super-naughty zone?—no, he wouldn’t—or safe zone? He did neither, instead slipping his fingers under hers until he was holding her hand.
It was warm, slightly rough, and so much bigger than her own. Paige willed her heart to slow, which was never going to happen with their joined hands resting on his thigh. Was this dating? Was this what she’d never wanted or considered? It didn’t feel anything like what she’d thought dating was. It felt the world had just disappeared from under her feet and she was falling.
The giant wheel started again, rotating slowly, bringing them to the highest point and her fingers tightened around his. It might not have been all about the ride.
She bit her lip at the perfect moment. More than perfect. All too soon they’d be back on the ground and these quiet moments in the night sky with Jake would be over. It was magical and she was acting like a silly girl, but that was part of the perfection. It felt really good to be young and silly for just a few minutes. And she had this crazy thought of the wheel stopping exactly at the top, of Jake taking her face in his hands and kissing her senseless like he’d done before. His fingers would slide into her hair while her hands roamed over his chest and shoulders. She knew how it felt to be pressed tight against him and she wanted that again.
But the Ferris wheel didn’t stop again and he didn’t kiss her, which in some weird way made it even more perfect, more special. The only guys she’d ever known would have tried to get as much as they could, but Jake wasn’t like any other man and he wouldn’t do what another man might do. She liked that. There were so many things to like about Jake McKinney. Too many.
When they got off, he took her hand again as they made their way to the parking lot. Probably because it was crowded and he didn’t want her to get left behind. But something inside her sparked, maybe a tiny, forgotten piece of some faraway girl who used to believe in fairy tales. Because Jake had a way of making her want things she didn’t even believe in.
Chapter 10
They talked easily on the way home about everything and nothing. Things like the correct way to eat a Kit Kat—he had a brother who bit across the top instead of breaking the sticks, shudder—and what was the best super power. Jake chose invisibility, she chose flying, but they both agreed those were the best two.
Simon had texted Jake, letting them know he and Jenny were staying for a band and he would bring her home. Casey slept soundly in the backseat, lips slightly parted, a bit of blue cotton candy clung to her hair. The purple bear had dropped to the floor at her feet. Even with no buffers the silence wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable, companionable.
Thirty minutes later, the tires of his SUV crunched over weeds and gravel before coming to a stop off to the side. He was already opening the door next to Casey when she got there, and he waited as Paige unbuckled her and gently lifted her out of her seat. Jake grabbed the booster and all the day’s loot and followed her inside.
“Anywhere’s fine,” she whispered, leaving him in the kitchen. She tucked Casey in, sticky hair and all, then closed her bedroom door all but a crack.
Jake was leaning against the counter when she returned, his long legs out in front of him crossed at the ankle. Now what? It’d been a long time since she’d been alone with a man. No, not a man. She had zero experience with a man. She’d never even kissed anyone old enough to buy alcohol.
“Do you want something to drink?” She opened the refrigerator, acutely aware of his body behind hers barely two feet away. “I have milk, orange juice, or water.”
“Water’s good.”
She got two glasses, some ice, and filled them at the sink.
“Thanks.” He took the glass she offered.
She’d lost her ease somewhere between the car and the kitchen. The small space seemed even smaller with him in it, his big body barely leaving room to breathe. Or maybe it was just being close enough to smell him that made it hard. His eyes met hers over the edge of the glass and her heart skipped. If she wasn’t careful, it would stop altogether.
There was only the one couch to sit on. Asking him to sit on it with her seemed a bit too dangerous and way too tempting. Especially after spending the past six hours with every cell in her body screaming to get closer. “Do you want to sit outside?”
“Sure.”
She followed him out, leaving only the screen door closed so that she could hear Casey. The table lamp inside illuminated them in soft light.
The steps were narrow, barely room for the two of them. She sat on the top step, leaning back against the metal railing someone had installed along the steps. Jake leaned back on the other side, one step below her.