He looked up, tilting his head. “What did you think I meant?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d grab a bucket of chicken and we’d hang out at your house.”
He frowned. “That’s not a picnic.”
“I don’t know. If we ate on the floor it would be.”
He reached for her hand and tugged her down on the blanket. “If we ate on the floor, we’d be fighting Puddy for our food.”
She laughed. “You’re probably right.”
“Besides, it’s nice right now. We’re in the shade, not too hot, and we’re by the lake. Perfect night for a picnic.”
She slapped her arm, killing a mosquito. “Except for the bugs.”
He reached into the bag and pulled out mosquito repellant. “Got that covered.”
The man was always prepared. She put on the repellant, mentally cursing the bug bite that would likely drive her crazy for the next week. Damn bloodsuckers.
Jason pulled out turkey wraps, hummus, chips and carrot sticks, as well as a jug of water and a bottle of wine. He uncorked the wine—a Red Moss Vineyards brand, of course—and poured it into plastic wineglasses.
He handed a glass to her.
She took a sip, enjoying the mellow smoothness of the rosé. “You thought of everything.”
“I figured you needed an easy night.”
He had no idea how much. “Thanks for this. It’s really nice.”
The view was incredible, both of the lake and of the gorgeous man next to her. She drank her wine and let her body relax.
“Tell me about your day.”
She looked over at Jason. “Not much to tell. Just routine.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
She inhaled, let it out. “For me? Definitely. How about yours?”
“Nothing eventful.”
“And for you that’s good, too, right?”
“Yeah.” He cracked a smile, and there went those twinges in her belly again.
“Good.”
“Oh, I finished the master bedroom and bathroom.”
“You did? That’s great. Have you moved back in yet?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I still have to buy new furniture. Wanna come shop with me?”
Her eyes widened. “I’d love to. When?”
“As soon as possible. I’m tired of sleeping in that double bed.”
She ran her fingertip over the rim of her wineglass. “If I recall correctly, we didn’t have a problem in that double bed together.”
His lips curved in that hot smile that never failed to make her toes curl. “It was close quarters, but we managed. Now imagine how much rolling around we could do in a nice, king-sized bed.”
“I definitely can’t wait to shop now.”
“Good. How about tomorrow night?”
She pulled her phone out of her bag, swiped and studied then looked up at him. “It turns out I’m free tomorrow night.”
“Good. Consider it a date.”
“A shopping date,” she said with a grin. “And if you want my furniture expertise, I’ll expect dinner, too.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course you will.”
They ate their food, then packaged it all up in the insulated bag and drank another glass of wine. Or, rather, Erin had another glass while Jason had water.
“Thank you for this,” she said. “It was exactly what I needed.”
“I’m glad you came.”
They took everything to the truck and put it in the back, then Jason locked it up and they took a stroll around the lake, watching the sun set. Jason hadn’t even held her hand, which Erin found curious.
She stopped midway through their trek to face him. “Are you mad at me?”
“What? No. Why would you ask that?”
“You haven’t hugged me or kissed me or held my hand. You’ve mostly kept your distance, physically.”
“Because last time we were together you said you had a lot on your mind, and I got the idea you wanted some distance.”
“Oh.” He was right about that. She had been throwing off some signals that night. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be sorry for feeling how you feel. You have that right.”
He always managed to say the perfect thing to make her feel better. She slid her hand in his, and just that contact made her whole world tilt normal again.
She leaned into him. “I don’t need distance. I need you.”
He drew her close and kissed her. Right there on the sidewalk, with people walking and jogging past them. She didn’t care, not when his mouth was on hers, his body touching her, and all that heat and muscle pressed to her. She wanted to rub herself against him in the most inappropriate way for a public place. Instead, she gripped his biceps and held on while he made her dizzy with lazy, slow kissing.
She pulled back. “Shouldn’t we take this somewhere a little more private?”
“Why? No one’s paying attention to us.”
She looked around to discover he was right. People were going about their business. Walking and running by, sitting by the lake, and not a single person was staring at them. Maybe she was the one feeling exposed. “I guess you’re right.”
He ran his thumb over her cheek. “You feel self-conscious letting me kiss you on the sidewalk.”
“Maybe a little.” Though she’d lost herself in that kiss for a few minutes, not caring where they were. She’d fallen deep into the feel and taste of him and forgotten where they were. Something that happened far too often with Jason.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s walk.”
They set off on the walk again, but this time Jason took hold of her hand. Her heart tumbled at the gesture.
By the time they had made their way around the lake and back to the parking lot, the sun had almost set, leaving a beautiful orange glow on the horizon.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Sure.”
She thought he’d take her to his place. That kiss had warmed her up considerably, and she was ready to show him she’d moved past her indecision. So she was surprised when he exited the highway not toward his place, but toward the vineyard.
He pulled up in front of the house and got out to come around to her side. She fought back her disappointment and smiled at him when he opened her door.
“Can I walk you up?”
“Sure.”
He took her hand again and walked up the steps, stopping before they
