The Werewolf Dates The Deputy - Kristen Painter Page 0,62
I can do dessert just yet.”
“Me either,” she said. “Eating that now might put me in a food coma.”
“We could drive out by the lake and look at the stars.”
“That sounds romantic.” There was a light in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. “Or we could swing by I Scream, pick up a couple of pints to go, then stop by my house so I can grab a few more things, then go back to your place and watch the stars from the hot tub. While eating ice cream.”
“A woman who’s not only willing to be seen in a small amount of clothing after eating a meal that could have fed a couple longshoremen, but who’s already planning on something new to eat? You are definitely the woman for me. Done.”
They cleaned up, packed up, and got back in the cab.
At I Scream, Jenna indulged in a pint of dark chocolate marshmallow explosion, while Titus got a pint of brown sugar toffee crunch.
From there, Titus drove straight to her house, waiting in the truck while she gathered whatever she needed. The evening was going exactly as he’d thought it would. Which was just about perfect. Sitting in the hot tub with her would be the icing on the cake.
Not that he had room for cake. Or ice cream, but he supposed he’d give it a shot.
He might even try for another of those Warhammer beers of hers.
She was back out in a few minutes, a secret smile on her face, a stuffed beach bag in one hand.
“What’s up?”
She shook her head, mouth quirked to one side like there was no way he was getting that secret out of her. “Nothing.”
He nodded but knew better. Something was up. He drove to his house with the radio playing the kind of R&B that made the night feel warmer than it really was.
They went inside. He carried the ice cream and the leftover banana pudding. She hoisted the beach bag over her shoulder. At the hall, she turned. “See you in the hot tub in a few?”
“Yep. You in the mood for a Warhammer?”
She grinned. “Maybe two. I can always eat the ice cream for breakfast.”
He shook his head. “I’ll get a cooler.” He changed into his trunks, then grabbed a soft-sided cooler and stuck a cold pack in it before adding four beers.
On his way through the house, he picked up two towels from the linen closet. He walked outside and inhaled, never tired of how fresh the air smelled up here.
He set the cooler beside the tub before pulling the cover off and firing up the jets. With the lights on and the water bubbling, it looked like a portal to another world. In a way, it was.
The sliders opened and closed, and Jenna’s lemony scent reached him as the breeze shifted. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting it wash over him.
“Hey.”
Her voice was soft and husky and sounded very much like the voice of a woman who was teetering on the edge of decision. Was he that decision?
He looked at her. And his breath caught in his throat.
He had a pretty good idea now what her secret smile had been about. Apparently, one of the things she’d picked up at her house was a bikini. The top was blue with white glittery stars. The bottom was equally glittery red and white stripes. Not that there was much room for either.
He swallowed and, for a moment, thought maybe he should salute. “God bless America.”
She laughed. “You like?”
“Uh, yeah.” He was staring. Was he not supposed to? Because he wasn’t about to fall back on politeness with all this woman in front of him. “It’s, uh, very patriotic.”
“Thanks.” With a catlike smirk, she climbed into the hot tub and slipped into the water.
In that moment, nothing about the two spells dictating his life seemed like bad things. He pulled two bottles from the cooler and offered her one.
She took it and wrenched off the top. “You coming in?”
“Oh yeah.” He got in, barely registering the heat of the water, and settled down across from her. He twisted off the top of his bottle. He raised it to her. “Great idea.”
“The hot tub? Or the bikini?”
He laughed. “Both. Both very good ideas.”
“I have them every once in a while.” Her smirk stayed while she took a sip. “You’re kind of far away.”
“What do you mean?” Was she really implying she wanted him closer? They should definitely eat barbecue more often.