Page 121 of Night Hawk
He stepped closer. “Charming enough to convince you to come have dinner with me and my family? They’re all still in town, and the rest of the crazy crew are joining us. They’ll be glad to see you, and if you come over, my mom will realize you’ve forgiven me, and she might quit giving me the stink eye.”
He chuckled. “But seriously. I haven’t had a chance to say how sorry I am about making decisions without you. But I am. Very. I should’ve consulted you first. Not only as the woman I love, but as a partner in the investigation.”
She stepped back. “Love?” The single word came out a squeak.
“Oh, man.” He plunged a hand into his hair, leaving it all messed up. “Me and my big mouth. I didn’t want to say anything here. I wanted to tell you under a moonlit sky. Or maybe at sunset. If you’ll come over early for dinner, that is. We usually eat at six, so four would be great. Or even earlier. Three or two. I mean, you could even come with me right now.”
“Um, Clay.” She smiled at him. “You might want to take a breath.”
“Yeah, right. It’s just…this is important to me.”
“Me too.”
“Then I’ll see you at four?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Lisa and the kids are welcome to come too.”
There he was, being so considerate again. “I’ll ask, but don’t be surprised if they’re not up for it.”
He clutched her hand tightly for a moment and turned to walk away.
“Wait,” she said, her heart bursting with love.
He turned, a wary look on his face. “You’re not changing your mind, are you?”
“No.” She grabbed his hand. “I can’t let you leave without this.”
She slid her fingers into his messed up hair and drew his head down for a kiss. His eyes flashed wide before she pressed her lips against his, the touch electrifying. She lost herself in the moment. Forgetting the location. The dingy hallway. Thinking only about this amazing man. The man who loved her. He loved her. Wow!
He deepened the kiss. She reveled in it but soon forced herself to pull back and look into his eyes. She took a moment to catch her breath, enjoyed knowing she had the power to cause him to struggle for breath. She wanted to hold onto him forever. To keep kissing those full lips. To feel that heady feeling and never come up for air.
And she suddenly knew this was what love felt like. She’d never known a feeling quite like this before. She wanted to savor it. Which she would. All afternoon while clinging to the promise of seeing him again. But now, she needed to let him go so she could think about their future and know her mind and heart to clearly communicate with him tonight.
“This seems to be becoming a habit for me,” she whispered. “Initiating a kiss, that is.”
He gently touched the side of her cheek, and the contact fired off a rush of emotions. “A habit I hope will last a lifetime.”
Clay opened the beach house door feeling like he was floating on a cloud. Literally above the ground so high he might not make it through the doorway. Toni had given him hope for a future together. If he didn’t mess things up again. He would do his best not to.
“You’re back,” Aiden said from the sectional, where most everyone in the family was crammed in.
“Guess this means you didn’t get locked in any closets along the way,” Brendan joked.
Everyone laughed, and Clay knew he was never going to live down the incident at the janitor’s closet, but he was in such a good mood, he laughed with them.
“Toni coming to dinner?” Drake asked.
He nodded, afraid to say yes in case speaking it aloud would make something happen to change her mind. His family responded with a cheer, and his mother jumped up to come to him.
“I’m so pleased, son.” She smiled at him and clutched his hands. “Toni really is special, and you deserve someone special. Just don’t—”
“Mess it up again,” he said. “Yeah, I know. Trust me.”
“Of course you do. Don’t let what happened steal your confidence. You’re a very caring and conscientious guy, and that was a fluke.” She gave him the same smile she’d given whenever he’d gotten in trouble. He couldn’t describe the look, but it was a cross betweenI love youandYou didn’t make the best choice.
“Thanks, Mom. I think I’ve got this.”
