Page 22 of Jessica's Hero
Nora understands—I ended up confiding in her after group one day—and now we always meet outside no matter the weather. But I’m not quite ready for Kane to find out the extent of my insecurity.
“Still.” Kane hugs me closer to him. His expression softens. “I’d rather pick you up, Jess. Unless you really don’t want me to.”
A happy warmth sweeps through me, chasing away the lingering chill from outside. “No, I would like that. If you’re sure you don’t mind?”
He guides me over to an empty table and pulls out the chair for me, waiting until I’m seated before replying with a smile, “I’mpositiveI don’t mind. If I’m taking you on a date, I want to do it right.”
Oh.
Happiness fizzes up inside me so quickly it steals my breath.
Itisa date.
As I wriggle out of my coat, Kane takes the seat across the table, his attention still focused on me. “I like that coat,” he adds. “The color really brings out the green in your eyes.”
My heart leaps, lodging somewhere in my esophagus.
Who is this man, and is he for real?
Defending me at the restaurant the other night? PlayingTenebris Veilinstead of judging me for it? Worrying about me standing outside in the cold? Insisting on picking me up and dealing with my car?Andnoticing the color of my coat and how it matches my eyes?
How is he still single?
Kane slips his own jacket off, revealing his dark blue police uniform beneath. It’s a perfect fit, the fabric emphasizing his broad shoulders and very impressive muscles.
Muscles I haven’t been able to stop thinking about ever since I saw him volunteering at the charity car wash last summer, with his white T-shirt all wet and clinging to what looked like at least a six-pack, possibly more. And the way his biceps flexed as he soaped up the cars, glistening with beads of water…
I know the movies always show women in next-to-nothing bathing suits volunteering at car washes, but seeing a group of police officers and firefighters is infinitely better, at least in my opinion.
Especially when Kane is one of them.
An image jumps into my head—Kane standing inmydriveway, washing my little hatchback with his shirt off, all the muscles I’ve fantasized about on full display. Then I bring out a glass of lemonade, or maybe a beer, and he rewards me with another of his sexy smiles. As he takes the drink from me, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me. Then he realizes he got me all wet and insists on taking me inside to change my clothes, peeling each piece of damp fabric off?—
“Jess?”
I startle at Kane’s voice, jerking in my seat and smashing my knee on the underside of the table. A hiss of pain escapes before I can stop it, and I instinctively clamp my hand to my throbbing knee.
“Shit, Jess. Are you okay?” Kane half-rises from his seat, worry lines etched into his forehead. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I should have thought?—”
“No, I’m fine,” I hurry to reply. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I force a smile that I hope looks reassuring. “Just bumped my knee is all. No big deal.”
He hesitates, still hovering half-up-half-down. His brows draw together. “Are you sure? I’m trained in first aid. I could take a look.”
“It’s okay.” I gesture for him to sit back down. “Really. It’s just a little bump. Nothing to worry about.”
He stares at me for another few seconds before slowly taking his seat again. “Okay. But if you need some ice, just let me know. I’ll ask the server to bring some over.”
He still looks so worried, I find myself reaching across the table to pat his hand. “I’m really okay,” I assure him. “I promise.”
Our gazes meet, and this little frisson ofsomethingpasses between us.
Something magnetic. Something irresistible. Something I’ve never felt before.
Kane turns our hands over, covering mine with his. He rubs his thumb across my palm almost absently as he says, “You can always tell me, Jess. If something’s wrong. Or if you need something. Alright?”
My heart jumps again.
My chest squeezes.
