Page 49 of Jacques

Instead, he glanced down at Remy's text message. “Remy says we have a video call scheduled with Hale tomorrow, and Joe Sarley is in stable condition and under police protection in the hospital in New Orleans.”

“Good.” Danny wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “I’d like to know why Hale was at our graduation celebration. And we need Sarley alive as a witness when we find out who hired him.”

Jacques acknowledged Remy’s message and set his cell phone on the table. His gaze met and held Danny’s. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Better than all right.” A smile tilted the corners of her lips. “No panic attack.”

Jacques clapped his hands together and decided not to rush her. “Great. Let’s rustle up some grub. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

They spent the rest of the evening going over what they’d learned that day and then talking about people in the community and what made Bayou Mambaloa a great place to live. Jacques didn’t mention the kiss, letting it ruminate in silence.

While he showered, he wondered whether Danny would continue their nightly ritual of him sitting on the sofa with her until she fell asleep. He worried that the kiss might have set her back.

He came out of the bedroom, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.

Danny sat on her end of the sofa, her pillow beside her, the blanket lying across her lap. Her hair had dried and curled around her face and shoulders.

Heat coiled low in Jacques’s belly. He wanted to kiss her again. Not just a kiss. He wanted to hold her and make love to her well into the night. “You should get some rest. It’s been a difficult day.”

Her brow furrowed. “You don’t have to sit with me if you don’t want to. It’s selfish of me to make you do it. You might not want to.” She looked down at her hands. “After that kiss, you might not have liked it.”

Jacques was across the room in a flash. He settled on his end of the sofa and held out his hand. “I liked it.”

Danny placed her hand in his.

“Maybe too much,” he admitted.

She squeezed his hand and pulled herself closer, leaning against his shoulder. “Same. I didn’t know how I would react. I was afraid I’d do something stupid. But once we started...” She shook her head. “It’s like everything disappeared but you and me.”

“Same,” he echoed her. “All the noise went away. The investigation. Interviews. Everything.”

She nodded. “I could be me. With you.”

Jacques shifted and raised his arm over her head.

Danny settled into his side and rested her cheek on his chest. “I wanted more.”

“It’s a good thing Remy’s text came through when it did.” Jacques rested his chin on the top of her head. “I wanted more, as well.”

“I never thought I’d ever feel that way again,” she said, her breath warm through his T-shirt. She leaned back and stared up at him. “Should we?”

He kissed her forehead and pulled her into the crook of his arm. “Yes, we should. Just not yet.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I want to enjoy the feeling of wanting you for a little while.”

He chuckled, his heart swelling. The kiss hadn’t been the start of the end. It had been the beginning of something beautiful. He’d take it as slow as she needed.

He was in this relationship for the long haul.

She was worth it.

CHAPTER 11

Danny fell asleep in Jacques’s arms, waking briefly when he shifted her over, tucked her in and retired to his bed.

Though they’d both admitted to wanting more, he hadn’t moved on the knowledge, giving her the time to adjust to the fact that their intimacy hadn’t triggered her panic.

It left her feeling hopeful, as if she’d been freed from the fear of men touching her. Only she knew she wasn’t completely free. Sure, she wasn’t afraid when Jacques touched or held her, but the same might not hold true if another man tried to touch her.