by Kaylea Cross
She’d knocked his ego down a peg by not seeming the least bit interested when he’d flirted with her, blocking him out on the other side of an invisible wall she’d put up between them.
What she’d said earlier was true. He wasn’t hurting for female attention—when he wanted it. But he wasn’t quite the player she thought he was, either. And lately he’d been keeping to himself. Because nothing seemed to capture his interest anymore, even women.
Until Avery, who ironically seemed completely impervious to the charms that had never failed him before.
Chapter Eleven
She was starting to break through Tate’s shell. Nina knew it in her gut.
That thought preoccupied her as she mixed the scone dough in the bowl at her kitchen counter on Sunday morning while she talked to her mom on speakerphone. She hadn’t seen Tate yesterday as planned because he’d been busy with Rylee and following up with the investigation, so she’d spent the day getting things prepped for the coming week’s classes. She missed him.
“I know, Mom. I miss you guys too, but it’s beautiful here. You’re gonna love it when you all come to visit me.”
Though to be honest, as much as she loved her family, she was far more interested in spending time with Tate right now. It felt like things had shifted between them Friday night, but she wasn’t sure where he was at in his head.
“And your roommate? She’s nice?”
“The best. We’ve been having dinner together a lot, when she doesn’t have to work late.” She’d purposely kept the conversation light, not mentioning Tate or the incident last night with Rylee and her friend.
Nina was trying her best not to dwell on that. It reminded her too much of what had happened at the end of the last semester, and she’d worked too hard to try and put that all behind her.
“And are you seeing anyone?”
Nina had to smile. Her mom and sisters were constantly asking her about her romantic life and dating adventures. Seeing someone was code for more than two dates. And more than two dates meant that Nina saw serious relationship potential.
Given her dating history, that rarely happened. Tate, however, was another story. He oozed potential—although she wasn’t sure if he was ready for a relationship, serious or otherwise. “Maybe.”
Her mother gasped. “Really? Tell me!”
“Nothing to tell. We’re just seeing each other.” Although she hoped things with Tate would keep progressing more, because he was the kind of man she could definitely see herself committing to. Solid. Dependable. Trustworthy. Respectful.
And hot. So very, very hot. “He’s a good person, he’s a detective, and that’s all I’m saying because there’s nothing else to tell.” Yet.
Her mom switched to rapid Spanish. “I hate it when you won’t tell me details.”
“And I love keeping you guessing.”
Her mother made a frustrated sound. “Just wait until I tell your sisters, they’ll be hounding you day and night for more info.”
“Okay, but how about for now, we change the subject? Because there’s nothing more to tell on that front.”
“I don’t believe that for a moment, but fine. Now. You mentioned your neighbors. You’ve made friends with them already?”
“More like…friendly rivals,” Nina said with a smirk as she finished patting the dough into a circle on the counter and began cutting it into triangles with a sharp knife. “I’m making them a double batch of blueberry-cinnamon scones right now. I’ll take some across the street first, then give the rest to—”
“To your man.”
Nina laughed. “Ever hopeful, Mom, that’s why I love you.” Although she sure liked the idea of Tate being her man. Coming home to him every night would be wonderful.
“I just want you to be happy, to see you settled down with someone who loves and respects you. For you to have what I found with your father.”
“I know, and I want that too, but only with the right person.” She hoped sooner than later, because she was pretty sure Tate could be that person. He had all the qualities she was looking for in a partner, and she’d never been so attracted to anyone.
But he was also gun shy since his breakup and she had to be careful not to get her hopes up this early on. Things could change between them at any time.
She didn’t want to think about that either. “Anyway, I need to let you go because I’m just about to pop these in the oven and then I need to clean up and get ready to deliver the goods.”
“All right. If you feel like sharing any details, call. I love you.”
Nina laughed softly. “I will. Love you too, and say hi to Dad.” She was more likely to share those kinds of details with her mom than her sisters. At least her mom could keep a secret. Sort of.
But there were some things she didn’t even tell her mom.
The happy bubble she preferred to live in popped as that night last spring intruded again. She shoved it aside and restored her happy mental place as she brushed the scones with an egg wash and slid the pan into the oven. Then she scrubbed the kitchen to keep busy. In spite of her efforts to not think about it, the incident with Rylee was weighing heavy on her mind.
She quickly showered and dressed. When the scones were done, she texted Avery. About to take some scones over to Rylee, Tate and Mason as a surprise. Wanna come?
Sure. Gimme five minutes.
Nina nestled the warm scones in baskets lined with linen napkins and went out front to wait for Avery. Nina still hadn’t said anything about her and Tate, it was so new. But if things progressed, she or Tate would have to tell Avery.
Her roommate came out a moment later wearing snug, dark jeans and a gorgeous sleeveless, floral top. The teal was incredible against Avery’s strawberry-blond hair. “You look amazing.”
Avery flashed her a smile. “Thanks, you do too. How many summer dresses do you have, anyway?”
“A lot. They’re my favorite, no worrying about what goes with what, I just grab a dress from the hanger and I’m good to go.” She gestured to the basket. “Let me drop these off, and I’ll be right back.”
She crossed the street to deliver the first basket. “Good morning,” she said when Pat opened the door. Her neighbor had her Tilley hat on and looked ready to tackle more work in the garden. “Brought you some blueberry scones to go with a cup of coffee.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. Thank you so much. Bev,” she called, and her sister’s head appeared around the kitchen doorway a moment later. “Nina brought us homemade scones.”
“Well, enjoy,” Nina said, and turned to walk down the porch steps.
“How’d it go?” Avery asked as Nina climbed into the front passenger seat of Avery’s car. Nina’s was still at campus. Tate was going to drive her and Rylee there tomorrow morning before class started.
“Hard to say. Might have stumped them with this one. Hard to make something out of scones.”
“Good one. But you know they’ll try.”
Mason’s and Tate’s vehicles were both in Tate’s driveway when they arrived a few minutes later. His house was beautiful, a log home nestled into a large, neatly kept yard with huge mature trees. “It’s such a gorgeous house.” She’d only seen a bit of it Friday night, and it had been dark.
“Yeah, he’s done it up nice. The inside’s cozy, with tons of character. The backyard’s twice this size, and he’s got a fire pit and a woodshop out there too.”
Nina walked with her to the front door and smoothed the skirt of her green polka-dot dress as she waited on the doorstep, nerves and anticipation buzzing inside her.
Tate answered it a minute later, a startled smile lighting his handsome face when he saw her, the sunlight catching on the bronze whiskers he hadn’t yet shaved. “Well, this is a nice surprise.”
She held out the basket, her heart fluttering all over the place as she remembered how much he’d enjoyed the planetarium, the way he’d kissed her after, and then again at his place later on. “I thought you guys might
like a treat for breakfast.”
“Thanks. Come on in.” He stepped back out of the way, his eyes on her, and swirls of heat replaced the tingle of nerves.
“How’s Rylee?” Avery asked, finally drawing his attention away.
“Still sleeping. But I think you guys and this basket could tempt her out of bed.” He gave Nina another smile and pulled her aside when Avery continued into the kitchen, disappearing from view around the edge of a stone countertop. “You still free tonight?”
Oh, he smelled good, and looked even better. “I might be. Why?”
“I want to take you out.”
She liked where this was going. “Where?”
“Dinner, then I thought I could drive us out to a special spot that would be a great viewing point for the meteor shower.”
Nina stifled a gasp and resisted the urge to put a hand to her heart. “Tate Baldwin, are you trying to seduce me?”
His eyes glowed with humor and arousal. “If I was, is it working?”
“Yes.”
He laughed, then his expression slowly sobered, his gaze becoming intense. Reaching out, he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, his fingers sliding through the strands in a caress that sent warmth pooling between her legs. “I want to take you out into the hills to watch the sunrise.”
Nina internally swooned all over the place, and couldn’t help the sappy grin curving her lips. “Oh, wow.” He was seducing her, all right. And doing a hell of a good job at it. Watching the meteor shower and then watching the sun come up together, just the two of them? Yes, please.
He drew his thumb across her cheek, his eyes full of sensual promise it made her pulse skip. “I know it’s not ideal timing, because it’s a Sunday night and that means you won’t get much sleep before you need to leave for work, but—”
She caught his hand and nuzzled her cheek into it. Staying up all night with him would be worth losing any amount of sleep. Especially if part of the night involved getting naked together. “I’d love to watch the sun rise with you.”
A slow, sexy smile curved his mouth. “Then it’s a date. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
She lifted on tiptoe to brush a teasing kiss across his mouth, her insides sizzling at the molten heat in his eyes. “I’m looking forward to it already.”
****
Tate loaded the last of the gear into the bed of his truck and headed out to pick up Nina, his whole body buzzing with anticipation. Her reaction when he’d asked her to watch the sunrise with him was all he’d been able to think about all day.
Other than getting her naked and finding out what sounds she made when she came. That had kept him up at night lately. He was betting she wouldn’t be shy in bed, and wouldn’t hold back about what she liked and what felt good. He couldn’t wait to find out.
She was waiting on the curb with a folded blanket in her arms when he arrived, her dark hair swept over the front of one shoulder. He leaned over to pop her door open, then froze when he took in the sight of her in a calf-length, form-fitting coral dress that hugged every sexy curve to perfection.
Tate’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Holy hell…
“Hi. I wasn’t sure what proper sunrise-watching attire was, so I brought a blanket in case it got too cold later,” she said, setting the blanket inside to climb into the passenger seat.
“You look beautiful.” So sexy he couldn’t stop staring.
The instant she pulled her door shut and straightened, he reached up to cup the back of her neck with one hand and slid his thumb over the pulse point in her neck. A hot thrill raced through him at the way her pupils dilated. “You won’t need the blanket, though. I’m going to keep you plenty warm.”
A light blush colored her cheeks and a sassy smile curved her lips. Her glossy, kissable lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” He dropped a light kiss on her mouth and straightened before he could get carried away and start making out with her in plain view of Avery’s house and anyone passing by who cared to watch.
Not how he wanted Avery to find out about them. “How do you feel about barbecue?” he asked Nina.
“I feel like it’s damn tasty.”
He chuckled. “Good.” Turning the truck around, he headed for the center of town.
“How’s Rylee holding up?”
“Physically she’s fine, but she’s really shaken up by the whole thing.”
“Any word on her roommate from your contact in Missoula?”
“No. No sign of her yet, and Greg said there was no further information about the case.”
“Damn.”
“I know.” He reached for her hand, curled his fingers around it and squeezed. “We just have to hope for the best. Mason’s hanging out with Rylee tonight, so she won’t be alone.”
She nodded. “That’s good.” After a moment she glanced over at him. “Can I ask you something?”
Despite himself, he tensed a little, unsure what she was going to say. “Sure, shoot.”
“I haven’t said anything to her, but pretty sure Avery knows or at least guesses something’s up between us. How do you want to handle it?” She waved her hands in front of her, palms out. “Not trying to push you into anything or whatever, I just… What do we tell her?”
He wasn’t surprised that Avery had figured out something was happening. His partner was a damn good detective, first because she was good with people, and second because she noticed things most others didn’t.
What did surprise him was that the idea of being in a relationship with Nina wasn’t off-putting. Not that he was ready for anything serious yet. “I’ll talk to her about it.” She was his partner, and he’d known her longer. It should come from him. “But if she asks you in the meantime, just say we’re seeing each other.”
He didn’t want to hurt Nina’s feelings. However, given what he knew about her romantic tendencies, he was a little worried that she might be jumping ahead in her mind, envisioning them in a place he wasn’t ready to go yet.
“Okay.” She kept watching him, and he could feel her intimidatingly brilliant scientist brain searching for parameters, a way to file their status into the appropriate category in her head.
He didn’t want to lie to her or give her false hope, but he also didn’t want to stop seeing her, either. “I like you, Nina. A lot. Enough that I want to keep seeing you, but I want to be up front that I’m not ready for a serious commitment.” He needed time. “If that’s not enough for you, I understand. It’s your call.”
“No, I’m okay with it. For now,” she added with an impish little smile that made him want to pull over and kiss her until she was gasping for breath, even as a tendril of unease curled inside him.
Get out of your head and enjoy the night.
He drove them to the barbecue joint just outside of downtown. The scent of hickory smoke perfumed the air outside it. “Best brisket and beans in Montana right here,” he told her, setting a hand on her waist as he led her inside. She felt incredible, all soft and curvy.
“Smells fantastic.”
He wound up ordering a sampler platter so she could try a bit of everything. He fed her a bite of the beans from his own fork, hunger tightening low in his gut at the way she held his gaze as her lips closed around the tines. “Good?”
“Mmmm, amazing,” she murmured, watching him in a way that made it hard for him not to slide in beside her and do something completely inappropriate in public.
They started with ribs, then moved onto the brisket, pulled pork and chicken. She didn’t bring up their relationship status again, and he was relieved. It was too early to make promises or put a label on what they were. No matter how great she was, or how comfortable he felt with her, he would have resented any pressure from her about it.
“I know you haven’t dated in a long while, but I just thought you should know that so far, this is already the best and least awkward date I’ve been on in… ever,” she told him as she helped herself to anothe
r rib.
He couldn’t help but grin. “Even better than the other night?”
“The other night was great too. What about for you? So far, so good?” Her lips twitched in a teasing smile. “You’re not ready to bolt out the door on me?”
“No.” She was so damn adorable, even when she was giving him a hard time. He liked that she was comfortable teasing him. Tala would love her. No wonder Avery did. “Did that guy you ditched to go out with me Friday night ever contact you again, by the way?” He’d been curious.
She looked up, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “He might have.”
Tate lowered his fork, hiding a frown. He’d just told her he wasn’t ready for anything serious, and here he was, annoyed by the thought of another guy sniffing around. “What did you tell him?”
She laughed. “I told him thanks but no thanks. Wow, Tate, for a guy who professes to only want something casual, that was awfully territorial of you.”
His face heated, because it was true, and he needed to be careful not to give her mixed signals. “Yeah. Guess it was.” He couldn’t help it with her.
She tilted her head to study him, curiosity bright in her eyes. “Can I ask what happened with your ex?”
Ah, damn. He didn’t like talking about Erica, let alone on a date. Hadn’t planned on talking about her with Nina, but it felt like there was something real happening between them, and she deserved to know why he was so leery about getting into another serious relationship. “Let’s just say I couldn’t meet her expectations.”
“What expectations?”
“Pretty much all of them,” he muttered.
When she kept watching him, he sighed and gave a brief rundown about his relationship with Erica. “I was with her for four years, lived together for over three of those. I thought eventually she’d feel solid about us, and then stop being so critical. But that never happened, and one day I came to the realization that it didn’t matter what I did, it would never be enough to make her happy.”
