That sounded like a good idea and I hurried into the bedroom, anxious to get dry. I toweled my hair before changing my clothes, then headed back to the kitchen. Blane was finishing mopping the floor.
“Well, this is a sight I never thought I’d see.” I couldn’t help but tease him.
He looked up and grimaced. “I can think of only one person I’d mop a floor for, and I’m doing it now.”
He said it jokingly, but my smile grew strained.
“I’ll just call the super and tell him to come by and fix it, now that you’ve got the water turned off,” I said, heading for the phone. A few minutes later, I’d reported the leak and the super said someone from maintenance would be over later.
Blane helped me take the waterlogged towels down to the washing machine, then followed me back upstairs.
“So, um, what did you need?” I asked, taking a seat on the couch. Realizing that didn’t sound very gracious after he’d just stopped my leak, I added, “Not that I’m not grateful you’re here.”
“You didn’t answer your phone this morning,” Blane said, sitting down next to me and resting an arm on the back of the couch. “I thought I’d come by, see if you wanted to go to lunch.” His hand dropped, the backs of his knuckles brushing the bare skin of my arm.
“I’m not dressed very nice,” I said, wondering if lunch was a good idea. My skin tingled where he’d touched me and I thought I should move away, but I didn’t.
Blane shrugged. “It’s just lunch.”
My conscience was screaming at me to tell him no, that I had to end things with both him and Kade, but I couldn’t obey.
“Um, okay. Just give me a minute.” I got up and headed back to my bedroom to brush out my hair. I avoided my eyes in the mirror. I could have lunch with Blane. There was nothing wrong with that.
A flash of Kade in my mind, his fingers inside me, his mouth on mine.
The brush clattered as it hit the dresser, dropping from my hands as I clutched the sides of my head, squeezing my eyes shut.
I was lying to myself, and I knew it.
“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered. “Your time is ticking away. Enjoy it while you can.” I just wanted to spend a little time with Blane, enjoy being with him, his company. It seemed like the time we’d had together had been fraught with danger and drama. Now that it seemed things had finally settled down, I was loath to put an end to our relationship. No matter the many reasons why I should.
Putting on some sandals, I went back to the living room where Blane was waiting. He got to his feet, not seeming to mind that I was in a pair of white shorts and a black T-shirt.
“I’ll drive,” he said.
I followed him out the door, locking it behind me. I jogged down the steps after him, then stopped short in surprise.
“Oh my God! You got a new car!”
Blane had slid his sunglasses on and he grinned at me. “What do you think?”
It was another Jaguar, but brand-spanking-new and just . . . wow. Silver metallic, it was a four-door, sleek, and gorgeous.
“It’s amazing!” I enthused.
“Wanna drive it?”
My jaw dropped and I stared at him. “Are you kidding me?”
Blane tossed me the keys. “Let’s take her for a spin.”
I squealed with delight, hurrying to the driver’s side as Blane slid into the passenger seat. He tossed his jacket in the back and I noticed the Glock wedged firmly in its holster at his side.
The engine turned over with a purr and I adjusted the seat for my considerably shorter legs. I took a deep breath, glancing at Blane. He was smiling and so was I. I looked up and was shocked again. The entire roof was made of tinted glass.
“Wow . . .” I breathed.
“Let’s go,” Blane urged.
I tore my gaze away from the roof and carefully backed the car up. I was almost too nervous to drive. Almost. With a gleeful laugh, we tore out of the lot.
Blane told me where to drive and I barely paid attention where we were heading, being too wrapped up in how amazing an experience it was to drive a car like this.
We were soon on an open country road, and Blane said, “Open her up.”
I glanced over. “I can’t do that! What if I get a ticket?”
Blane lowered his glasses, peering at me over the tops. His grin was wicked. “I know a great lawyer.”
I laughed and gave in to the urge to go just a little faster. Okay, maybe a little more—it was just so easy and the car seemed to grip the road as it ate up the miles.
Finally, Blane directed me onto an exit and had me pull into what looked to be a park. It was nice, with huge shade trees and manicured grass. Since it was the middle of the week, no one was there at this time of day.
“I don’t know what kind of hoity-toity restaurants they have in this itty-bitty town,” I teased. “You may have to settle for a fast food cheeseburger for lunch.”
Blane got out and so did I. “No, I won’t,” he said, popping open the trunk. “Surprise.”
Curious, I stepped toward the trunk to see what was inside. Oh God.
There was a picnic basket and a blanket.
“I thought we could have a picnic,” Blane said.
I swallowed. The last picnic I’d been on had been with Kade, and we’d—
“Um, yeah, sure,” I said brightly, cutting off that thought.
Blane frowned. “Is that okay? Because if it’s not, we can—”
“No, no, it’s fine,” I interrupted. “A picnic sounds great.” So what if it made me feel like I was cheating on Kade? I wasn’t. He and I weren’t together. I was his go-to booty-call girl and yes, he loved me and I loved him, but you couldn’t build a life together out of a booty-call relationship.
I grabbed the blanket while Blane took out the picnic basket, then followed him into the park. Finding just the perfect spot took a few minutes, and I hid a smile as Blane dismissed certain areas for “not enough shade” or being “too rocky.” Finally, he designated the spot.
“You’re sure?” I teased. “Before we spread the blanket and everything, because if you’re not sure, we can keep looking.”
“Smartass,” he retorted, setting the basket down and taking the blanket from me. A few quick snaps of his hands, and the fabric floated perfectly to the ground.
I slipped off my shoes before settling down, then waited as Blane sat down, too. He looked a bit incongruous, sitting on a blanket under a tree with a shirt and tie on. I watched as he dug into the basket, producing two bottles of water and sandwiches.
“Where’d you get this stuff?” I asked, taking a chicken salad sandwich from him.
“Mona made it,” he said, unearthing more food.
I’d skipped breakfast after the puking incident, so was starving now. Mona’s cooking was good incentive and I ate the sandwich embarrassingly fast. She’d also packed strawberries and I eyed Blane as I ate those more slowly.
“Blane, when was the last time you went on a picnic?” He just didn’t seem like the picnic kind of guy. He’d finished his sandwich, too, and was now resting back on his elbows, his long legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed.
His smile was a bit sheepish. “Years, I’m sure. I’ve probably not willingly sat on the ground to eat since I was deployed.”
“So why now?” I asked. “Why today?”
“I thought you’d like it,” he said. “And I wanted to see you.”
I gave an inward sigh and lay down on my back, looking up at the puffy clouds drifting across the sky.
“Is that wrong? Am I not supposed to want to see you?” A defensive note had crept into Blane’s questions.
“Of course not,” I said. “I want to see you, too.” Which was true. If I could just get Kade out of my head, maybe the feelings I had for him would go away and I could feel what I should feel—what I used to feel—for Blane.