Page 62 of Operation K-9 Brothers
Chapter Seventeen
“I had a great time,” Nichole said as she followed Jack into his house.“Deke and Heather are a blast.”
“Yep.”
One word answers were all that she’d gotten from him since leaving the restaurant.He seemed preoccupied...or had she said something wrong?She hated thinking that.It was shades of being with Lane and wondering what she’d done this time.She’d promised herself she would never let a man intimidate her again, but she was feeling like that now.
“Jack, if I did or said something wrong, how about you just spit it out instead of giving me the cold shoulder?”
He stopped so suddenly that she plowed into his back.He turned to face her.“Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re not talking to me.That’s exactly how Lane acted when I did something to piss him off.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw.“I’m not Lane.I’ll never be him, so don’t compare us.Honestly, I’m insulted that you would think me anything like him.”He swiped a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh.“I’m sorry if I made you feel like I was upset with you.I’m not.Far from it, in fact.There’s something I want to talk about, and I’m just nervous, is all.”He sheepishly shrugged.“I was preoccupied on the way home with practicing what I’d say to you.How I’d say it.”
Lane had never apologized, and that right there was proof that he wasn’t Lane.“Okay, and I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.Lane conditioned me to expect the worst, a habit I’m trying to break.”She put her hand on his arm.“And I know you’re not Lane, not even close.”But now he had her nervous.Was he having second thoughts about wanting her as his girlfriend?
He took her hand.“It’s a beautiful night.Let’s sit on the deck for this talk.”He reached down and scratched Dakota’s head.She’d been patiently sitting at his feet—waiting to be noticed—since they’d walked in and come to a stop.Someday Rambo would behave that well.Hopefully.
“Okay, but I need to call Mark and make sure he let Rambo out.”
“While you do that, I’ll make us something to drink.What would you like?”
“Water’s fine.”She’d had enough wine for the night.Any more and her mind would be too fuzzy to listen to whatever he had to say.
After talking to Mark and being assured that he had let her dog out, she joined Jack on his back deck.
“We’ll share,” he said when she glanced at the one glass of water on the table next to him.
Sharing was a good sign, right?When she went to sit in the chair on the other side of the small table, he shook his head as he held out his hand to her.
“Over here, girlfriend.”
Okay.He wasn’t breaking up with her.The tension that had been building dissipated.She put her hand in his, and he pulled her down so that she was sitting with her back to his chest.He wrapped his arms around her.
“So,” he said, then nothing.
She waited, trying to guess what he wanted to say, but nothing came to her.“So?”she prompted.
“Yeah, so.”He rested his chin on her shoulder, then nuzzled her neck.
If he kept that up, she was going to forget he had something to say that she wanted to hear.She leaned back, moving her face until they were almost lips to lips.
“Jack, I’m dying here.It’s like you’re purposely torturing me with whatever it is you’re having trouble saying.”
“I don’t mean to torture you,” he murmured into her ear, his breath warm on her skin.
“In about sixty more seconds I’m going to attack and drag the words out of your mouth.”She felt his lips curve on her neck.“And stop smiling.”
“You’re sexy when you get feisty.”
“Jaaaack!”She bumped her head against his chest.
“We’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend, right?”
“Yeah, and?”
“Where do you see our relationship going?”
