She took one step on the uneven ground and her heel got caught in the soft dirt. She laughed. “I’m not exactly dressed for this.”
“Sorry, city girl.” I apologized as I steadied her arm while she worked to get her shoe unstuck. When the heel was freed I moved in front of her and lowered myself down. “Hop on.”
“Hop on?”
I glanced over my shoulder and bent my knees farther. “Yep. Your chariot awaits.”
Her face filled with a wide smile and she threw her arms around my neck, jumped up and wrapped her legs around me. She held on tight as I made my way down to a small, flat expanse a few feet from the water’s edge. When we arrived at our destination, I stopped and Reagan slid down off of me.
I spread a blanket out on the ground, and Reagan settled herself down on it, taking off her shoes and pulling her hair up in a bun atop her head. She turned her face up to the sun and closed her eyes, and damn, did I wish I had a camera at that moment. She made such a pretty picture.
I looked around. This land. This woman. It felt like a significant and critical moment in my life. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was standing on the site of my future home with the woman who would one day share it with me.
CHAPTER 36
Reagan
As I looked out over the flowing water and gorgeous landscape, a sense of total contentment descended over me. It was such a welcome feeling, and not one I was very familiar with. But since moving to Firefly, I had started to acquaint myself with it. I could barely believe that this was my life.
If someone would’ve told me that I’d get into the pickup truck of a man I barely knew but had slept with twice without knowing where I was going, I would’ve said that they were mistaken. If someone would’ve told me that I’d get a piggyback ride in a Michael Kors suit to a picnic in the middle of nowhere when I had a brief due in the morning that I’d yet to finish, I would’ve told them they were bat-shit crazy. If someone would’ve told me that I would inhale three pieces of cold fried chicken and a half pint of potato salad without stopping to breathe, I would’ve said they were delusional.
But, here I was. Not only had I left work, I hadn’t asked Billy where he was taking me or when I would be going back. He’d told me to jump on his back, and I’d hopped up without giving it a second thought. When he opened the picnic basket, I’d greedily grabbed the drumsticks, because I’d always preferred them to thighs or wings.
Who was I? And why did I feel more myself sitting here with Billy, on land that he owned and was going to build his dream house on, than I could ever remember feeling?
Wondering what Billy might be thinking, I stole a glance over at him and saw that rather than taking in the view and enjoying the scenery as I’d been doing, he was looking at me. The expression on his face and in his eyes stole my breath. There was such longing there. To be the object of that kind of emotion knocked me off balance. I craved it, but at the same time I didn’t know how to handle it.
I smiled wide, needing to break the intensity of the energy between us. I couldn’t quite think of what to say, so I went with a joke. “So, is this your go-to move? Bring a girl out to your beautiful piece of land and dazzle her with a picnic lunch you packed yourself? I mean, it’s a good move, don’t get me wrong. You must have a pretty decent success rate with it.”
I popped a grape in my mouth to punctuate my teasing deflection.
Instead of playing along, though, Billy reached out and ran his fingertips down the side of my face. I was really starting to love when he did that. He cupped my chin in his hands. His touch was so gentle.
“You’re the first woman, hell, the first person I’ve ever brought here. I’d never use this piece of land as a cheap seduction ploy. It’s personal. This land is my heart. It’s me. It’s special, just like you’re special.”
My stomach flipped over and my throat constricted with emotion. I wanted to