Ignite On Contact (Brotherhood by Fire #2) -Jaci Burton Page 0,91
eyes.
Yeah, that giant grocery bill would be totally worth it.
“What?” he asked, startling her out of her fantasy.
She straightened. “Oh. Nothing. I was . . . thinking.”
“About?”
Caught in the act. Now she’d have to come up with something. And she knew what she wanted to talk to him about. “My grandfather wants to propose to Felice.”
“Is that what he wanted to talk to you about the other night?” She nodded. “He sat me down and asked me what I thought about her, and then he said he loved her and wanted to marry her.”
He dipped a French fry in ketchup and shoved it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then washed it down with a swig of beer. “And what did you say?”
“What was I supposed to say? Felice is wonderful, and it’s obvious she loves my grandpa. If she makes him happy, what more could I want for him?”
“So you gave your blessing?”
“Actually, no. I was kind of shocked. It’s all happening so fast, you know? I think I might have mumbled oh, really? a lot at him.”
“That’s not surprising. But if you love someone, how much time do you need?”
Interesting observation. “I guess. But I called him today after I got off work. I didn’t want him to think I disapproved, so I told him he should ask Felice to marry him. Life is short, and it’s not like the two of them have another fifty years or anything. They should enjoy their lives together.”
“That’s sweet. And you’re right. People who love each other should be together.”
“Yes.” She looked down at her plate, suddenly unable to eat any more. She didn’t know what was wrong with her other than everything suddenly seemed as if it was changing. She’d been so comfortable here with Grandpa. And now he and Felice would get married and then . . .
And then she had no idea what would happen.
Nothing was certain anymore.
Rafe laid his hand on hers. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel . . . unsettled. Like my whole life is changing.”
“Because of your grandpa?”
Her unsettled feeling was only partly because of her grandfather. It was also because of her feelings for Rafe. Feelings she was still holding on to, because she was still afraid to tell him how she felt. She hadn’t been in love since her ex, and that had been an epic disaster. She was afraid to fall again, afraid if things went wrong she’d never recover.
She felt as if she was balancing on the edge of a cliff, unable to take a step back and unable to take the leap that could mean a possible amazing future—or utter catastrophe.
So instead, here she stayed. Hovering.
“Yes, because of my grandpa,” she said, knowing she was lying to him but still unable to admit her feelings. “His decision changes a lot of things about my life.”
“Do you know what you need?” he asked.
“No. What do I need?”
“You need some nighttime skinny-dipping.”
She arched a brow. “In your pool?”
“Nah. Jackson and Becks are home tonight. I’ve got something else in mind.”
“Really. And what might that be?”
“Let’s clean up the kitchen first, then I’ll take you on an adventure.”
“Okay. Definitely yes.” She needed an adventure, something fun to take her mind off all of her serious thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to be serious.
It was time to get out of her head—and see what Rafe had up his sleeve.
CHAPTER 28
RAFE COULD TELL CARMEN WAS ALL UP IN HER HEAD about something. Maybe her grandpa and his plans to marry Felice. And maybe it was also something else. He didn’t really know, and at the moment, his only intent was to get her to relax and have some fun.
He pulled into the out-of-the-way parking spot and turned the engine off.
Carmen turned to him. “I have no idea where we are.”
He grinned. “That’s the point.”
“I don’t even see a beach. Just a forest of bushes.”
“Trust me, it’s there.”
She gave him a dubious look. “You aren’t going to kill me and bury my body where no one will ever find me, are you?”
“I bring you to a secluded beach, and that’s the first thing you think of?”
She shrugged. “I watch a lot of true crime shows.”
He shook his head. After grabbing a couple of beach towels, he got out of the truck and came around to meet Carmen in front.
“It’s so dark,” she said. “And I don’t see lights anywhere.”
“I found this beach a few years ago. It’s small, but there’s enough sand that we can wander out and