“Gotta go,” I said to Jet.
“Tel Hank I said hi.”
“Sure.”
She disconnected and I flipped the phone shut.
Hank’s eyes went to the phone.
“Jet,” I told him.
Without a word, he walked forward, even though I was in his way.
his way.
He seemed bigger than I remembered, tal er, broader of shoulder. His presence seemed to invade the room. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a dark gray turtleneck sweater, jeans and black boots.
He looked fantastic.
I quickly moved out of his way, he finished entering and turned. I stood in the door.
“She says hi,” I shared.
He grabbed my arm and pul ed me out of the doorway and then shut the door behind me. I watched the door close and just (barely) stopped myself from screaming again.
“Uncle Tex is going out on a date with her mom tonight,” I kept sharing.
His hand was stil on my arm and now he was pul ing me to him. He stil didn’t say anything.
“If this works out, Jet and I could end up related,” I went on, completely unable to stop talking.
He pul ed me closer, then his hand left my arm and went around my waist. The other hand went to the side of my neck.
“We’l be, like, cousins or something,” I carried on.
His face came toward mine. His lips weren’t smiling but his eyes were.
My lips and eyes weren’t smiling, my body was preparing to have a heart attack.
“Is it cousins? Or would I be her niece? How does that go?” I asked, desperately re-designing my family tree in an effort to avoid what was happening in real time.
“Sunshine?” he said against my mouth.
“Sunshine?” he said against my mouth.
“Yeah?” I breathed.
“Shut up.”
I did.
Then he kissed me.
It was just like the night before, just as serious, just as hot, just as quick to scramble my brain and make me go dizzy.
He lifted his head.
When I could think straight again, I said, “You’re supposed to do that after the date is over.”