Page 24 of Isabelle & Jason
“Any requests…” he repeated, his head cocking to the side.
“We’ve gone on all the trails I’m familiar with. Did you like any of the ones we’ve done so far? Or do we just start over from the beginning?” Her eyes practically sparkled in the moonlight. They entranced him.
Wait, what did she ask him?
Argh. He shouldn’t be thinking about her this way.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, then cleared his throat. “Yeah. Okay.”
Isabelle snickered, and that soft sound was absolute heaven. Any time he could get her to give him a genuine smile or a laugh made his day. He’d go to bed replaying that sound over and over.
It was official. He was completely gone for this woman.
Well, shoot.
“I asked if you wanted to go on a specific trail?” she attempted again.
This time Jason shook his head. “Nah. Just go with what feels right to you.”
She grinned at him again. “Fair enough.”
They ended up approaching a small hunting cabin on the far side of the property. He couldn’t recall going out this far, and by the time they arrived and turned to head back, Jason had a stitchin his side. He all but limped along, bracing his hand where the ache refused to abate. “Maybe we could walk part of the way back?”
Isabelle bounced on the balls of her feet. “Have I worn you out already?” she teased.
He wasn’t at the point where he could admit that he was in terrible shape, so he blew out a breath and went with an explanation that might make sense. “I just want a chance to chat.”
It was like his words stole the energy right from her body. She stopped to study him. “Chat about what?”
Jason’s hand dropped and he shrugged. “Stuff.”
She grinned at him again. “Stuff.”
“Sure. Stuff. You know, like what else you like to do with your time.”
Her lips rolled between her teeth, and she fell into step beside him as they trudged back the way they’d come. “I like working with the dogs. That’s fun.”
“That’s work,” he said pointedly.
“But you like to cook and that’s work.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “My job is more than cooking. I have other responsibilities, too.”
She snorted at that. “So do I.”
He wasn’t getting anywhere with her. Blowing out a breath, he racked his mind for a way to get her to really open up to him. “Okay, how about this? I used to drive a motorcycle.”
Her eyes widened, and her head whipped around so fast her ponytail swung around and almost got her in the face. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “What? Don’t see me as some biker guy?”
That dragged another laugh from her, and he beamed. Isabelle shook her head. “Definitely not. Do you still have one?”
“My brother has it at his place.”
“Why don’t you have it here?”
Another shrug. “I guess I didn’t want to bring more than I needed to. Besides, I don’t have much use for it out here. When I was in the city, it was easier to get around that way. But out here?” He lifted his arms and gestured to the open spaces surrounding them. “Out here, it’s better to have a bit more peace and quiet.”
