“Okay, I’ll answer for you,” Kane volunteered. I peeked over at him, and his gaze stayed straight ahead on the road, and I watched the angles and planes of his face shift in and out of the lights that we passed. It fascinated me.
He fascinated me.
It was definitely a new experience.
“Ever since that first day, when I asked you for directions?” He kind of smiled, half-laughed, soft and barely there. “Then when I saw you talking to Olivia and my brother, and every other time I’ve seen you since?” He shrugged. “I can’t stop thinkin’ about you, Harper.” He let out a sigh. “Something about you I identify with.” He looked at me. “Something that reminds me of me. Something broken. Something no one else sees. And it draws me to you.”
That shocked me. “But I’m not a criminal,” I said. “How can I remind you of, well, you?”
Again, he didn’t seem affronted. Just…factual. “There’s actually a little more to me than numbers,” he said, then glanced at me. Liquid pools of coffee grazed my eyes. “Believe it or not.”
I knew there was something because every time we were in the same breathing space, something like a current hummed beneath my skin. I wasn’t stupid, or naïve. Just because I’d never been on a date before, or had sex before, didn’t mean I was blind to the signs of attraction. I knew how things worked. Murphy was a walking, breathing Wikipedia of dating, snogging, and sex and all things in between. She inadvertently taught me plenty. Maybe not everything, but plenty.
“How do you know I’m not already in a relationship?” I asked.
“I asked.”
“Oh.” I had nothing to say after that. All of my big Dare plans seemed to be getting tossed right back at me by a quiet, strange beautiful guy with liquid eyes, wise beyond his years. I glanced out the window, watched the dark figures pass by.
Some time passed before Kane turned down a long, dark road. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I know this looks creepy, but it’s really not. I promise.”
“I believe you only because I know Brax Jenkins,” I said with confidence. “He’d punch your eye out if you did anything shifty.”
A faint rumble of laughter spilled from Kane’s throat. “Yeah, he’s already warned me to keep away from you and you can believe he’d be madder than hell if he knew I’d taken you out here.” He winked. “But I’m the older brother, see? Where do you think he learned everything from?” Then, as he slowed the truck, his gaze found mine. “I might be fast with the numbers, Harper, but I don’t swindle hearts. It’s not my MO.”
I somehow believed that about him. “That’s…good to know.”
It wasn’t long after that when Kane pulled to a stop at a crossgate. He looked at me. “Ready?”
Inside, my nerves jittered. It was dark. I didn’t like the dark, and immediately, my breath hitched. I tried to stifle it, the panic I felt creeping up along my spine. I didn’t want Kane to see it. “I suppose.”
Out of the truck, with a blanket he’d grabbed from somewhere behind his seat, Kane extended his hand and helped me out. From his pocket he pulled out a small flashlight, flipped it on, and some of the tension eased from me as soon as the light arced through the blackness. Grasping my hand firmly, he tugged me toward the crossgate. A sign read KEEP OUT. TRESSPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. My feet braked, and Kane jerked. He looked down at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“This…is trespassing,” I stammered. “See that word, Kane? Prosecuted? We could get into trouble.”
He rounded on me, sort of creating an enclave around us with his broad shoulders. He invaded my space; it made me feel protected, somehow. He didn’t even need to assure me with his hands. His eyes, his voice did the same maneuvers. “Haven’t you ever done anything daring, Harper?” he asked gently. “Anything that made your adrenaline kick in?”
“Of course not,” I said quickly. “Especially if it means going to jail!”
The lines around his eyes and mouth eased as he smiled. “It’s okay, Harper. Olivia knows the owner and I called ahead. Besides, Brax just brought Olivia out here the other night.” In the darkness, he tilted his head, ducked it to get a better view of me. “Your face is hidden in the shadows,” he said quietly. “But I know you’re tense. I can feel it. I asked you to trust me. Is it so hard?”
If he only knew. “Okay. Lead the way.”
We ducked under the crossgate and followed a hard-packed dirt path up a slight incline. Up and up we climbed, until our breath puffed out white with moisture.
“Notice anything yet?” he asked.
“No,” I answered breathily.
Kane laughed softly and we continued on, the narrow beam of light slicing through the darkness.
Finally, we plateaued, the trees cleared and we stood perched on a bluff.
An engine roared overhead, and when I craned my neck to look, I gasped as a commercial jet seemingly skimmed the top of my head.
“Oh!” I gasped again. “Kane!”
His laugh was husky and cut through the night air. Under his arm, he unrolled the blanket and set it on the ground at our feet. “Sit.”
I did, trying to keep my boots off the edge. “Where are we?”
Kane flung himself beside me, shoulder to shoulder. The moment he turned off the flashlight, the panic rose again in my throat and I gasped.