Jack

 

 

I couldn’t help myself. I had to kiss him. Well, technically, he put kissing on the table first. Albeit, his was a chaste kiss, but it was still a kiss. And I’d never been one to do things by halves. If I was gonna kiss him and kiss him properly, then it’d be a kiss he’d remember.

And holy shit, what a kiss it was.

When I pulled away, his eyes were unfocused and his lips were red and wet. We were both breathless, but this was different.

He took my damn breath away. “You are sublime.”

“Oh.” He blushed, and the colour that crossed his cheeks matched the delicious colour of his lips. “No one’s ever called me that before.”

I ran my thumb across his cheek. “Then they were fools.”

Lawson bit his lip. His shyness was charming in a way I’d never fancied before. Normally I’d go for guys who were more a physical match to me―masculine with more brawn than brains―but there was something about this butterfly-chasing genius that really drew me in.

He let out a little chuckle and stepped back, apparently so he could take a few breaths. “Okay, so I seem to have some kind of cognitive dysfunction when you’re too close.”

I laughed. “Sounds serious.”

He put his hand to his forehead, and I might have been worried if he wasn’t smiling. “Could be.” Then he looked up to the sky. “Should we be heading back?”

I checked my watch. “Probably. It’s just after four.”

We walked back toward the clearing. Lawson packed everything away neatly into the tubs, and we loaded them into the Defender and headed back to town. He drove for a while, then he asked, “So, what are you planning for our date tonight? Because if we’re heading back into Launceston, I’ll need some time to transfer my data to my laptop.”

“Did you want to head back into Launceston?”

“Well, no. Not really. As nice as a fancy dinner sounds, I have work to do.”

“What makes you think I can’t get you a fancy dinner in Scottsdale?”

“Well, the table for two in the bakery is going to be hard to beat.”

I grinned at him. “Mr Gale, that sounds like a challenge.”

He made a happy sound. “I believe it was supposed to. I have high expectations, remember?”

“How can I forget?” I took his GPS from his dash.

“What are you doing?”

“Adding in the address you’ll need to get to for the best date ever.” I put the GPS back into its dash holder. “Bring whatever work you want to go over too.”

“Are you sure?” He looked from the road to me and back to the road. “Not to say I’m not grateful for the offer. But working on a date?”

I looked out the window and tried to play it cool. “Well, you’re only here for a week, so the work you’re doing is not only important, but you’re also on a very limited schedule. If we have to multitask, that’s okay with me.”

He looked at me again for a long second before turning his attention back to driving. “Thank you. For saying that.”

“What? That multitasking is okay?”

“No. For saying my work is important.”

“Environmental conservation of any kind is important.”

Lawson smiled. “You know, it’s already highly likely you’ll get lucky to some degree tonight. You don’t have to butter me up.”

I laughed at that. “Can’t say I’ve ever used dairy spread as a personal lubricant, but I’m not opposed to trying.”

His mouth fell open and he stared at me, as though he was half-amused, half-horrified.

“Please watch the road,” I said, pointing to the windscreen. “We can’t have the best second date ever if we die in a car crash.”

* * *

I heard the Defender pull up out the front of my place and watched Lawson get out. I think it took him a second to realise he was at my house. It was, after all, the address I’d given him. He appeared hesitant to walk up to the garden gate, so I opened the front door. He wore the same navy trousers but had changed his shirt. This one was a short-sleeve button-down with some triangle pattern. And sweet mother of God, he was wearing a bow tie. I had to steady my breath before I could speak. “Hey. You look lost.”

He patted down his already perfectly combed hair. “Well, I wasn’t expecting… actually, I didn’t know what to expect. The address you gave me was out of town, and this is the only house for miles… Then I saw your work ute.”

I walked out to meet him, and I could see he was taking in the view. There were mountains to the north-east, a valley to the west. I lived in a tidy three-bedroom timber cottage painted pale yellow with white trim on the veranda that wrapped around all sides of the house. It was old but had character. The best part was, the cottage was on a ten-acre lot in the middle of larger properties, which meant there were no other houses in sight. “So, uh, this is my house.”

He smiled up at me. “It’s very quaint.” He listened for a second. “And very quiet.”

“Which is why I love it.” I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “Thank you for coming.”

He sighed happily before turning back to his rental. “Can you help me carry these?”

I had no idea what these were. “Sure.”

He opened the back door to the Defender and pulled out one of the tubs he’d had in the clearing earlier today and handed it to me. He grabbed a laptop bag and held it to his chest. “Something smells really good.”

“Dinner or the jasmine? Or me? Because I did have a shower.”

He smiled at that. “I was referring to the food. The jasmine plant is nice, though. And I haven’t smelled you.” He paused for a moment. “Yet.” Then he looked around me and nodded to the front door. “Are you going to invite me inside, or are we dining out here tonight?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” I said, walking down the path to my front veranda. “Someone’s very excited to meet you.”

“Oh,” he mumbled. I stopped on the steps and turned to him. He looked put off and a little confused. “I wasn’t expecting there to be anyone else here.”

I smiled at him. “Her name is Rosemary. She promised to be on her best behaviour.” I crossed the veranda and opened the door. Rosemary was still sitting like a very good girl where I’d told her to stay. “Come.” She padded over to me, then stuck her head out the door behind my legs. “Rosemary, I’d like you to meet Lawson.”

How this meeting went was critical for me. If she didn’t like him, or if he wasn’t a dog person, I’d be very disappointed. It would mean that whatever was starting between Lawson and me would end tonight. I couldn’t have a man in my life who didn’t accept Rosemary into his. Me and my dog were a package deal.

I was nervous because I really wanted this to go well. I liked Lawson, and I really thought we had a connection, a beginning of something that could be very special. Permanent even, if it was possible to know that after just a few short days. But their getting along was the catalyst on where we went from here.

My worries went unfounded because Lawson broke out in a grin when he saw her, and my dog immediately wagged her tail. She went out to meet him, and Lawson put his laptop bag on the ground, bent down on my one knee, and gave her a good, hearty pat.

The relief and happiness that went through me were unprecedented.

He didn’t just say ‘oh cute dog’ and walk past her. He stopped, put down his bag, and met her on her level. Rosemary gave me a tongue-lolling grin as he ruffled her fur, which was all the approval I needed.

Lawson stood up and brushed off his knee, then looked at me and grinned. “She’s gorgeous.”

I was pretty sure my smile was about to break my face. “She is.” I couldn’t help myself. I walked back across the veranda, down the steps to where he stood. I held the storage tub on my hip with my left hand and used my right hand to tilt his face up so I could press my lips to his. Soft and warm, lingering for a moment. “And so are you.”

His cheeks coloured and he ducked his head. Even the tips of his ears went red. It did all sorts of wonderful things to my stomach. It stirred even better things in my groin. “I better check on dinner.” My voice was gruff so I cleared my throat. “Please, come inside.”

Lawson followed me in. My house wasn’t anything fancy or big. The living area consisted of one room that was my lounge room at the front, dining room at the back, kitchen at the side. There was a doorway off the lounge room that became a short hall for three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a laundry. It had timber floors, pale yellow walls, and the kitchen was kinda old. I guessed the decorating types these days would call it retro or country chic. Rosemary trotted over to her bed in front of the unlit fire and lay down.

I headed straight for the kitchen, sliding the plastic tub onto the far end of the dining table on my way. Lawson put his laptop next to it and stood at the kitchen counter. He eyed off where I’d set the end of the table for two, wine glasses and candle included. He smiled. “You have a lovely home.”

I collected the tea towel off the kitchen bench and gave him a quick smile. “Thanks. It’s old, but she’s got that old-home charm. I love it.” I opened the oven door and took out the dish of bubbling lasagne. I carefully slid it onto the stove top so it could cool a bit. “I hope you like lasagne and salad.”

“Perfect. And homemade? I’m impressed.”

“So, the second date might live up to the first yet!”

He chuckled. “It’s off to a very good start. Though I’ll let you know my full assessment when I leave.”

It was hard to tell if he was joking because he smirked when he said it, but knowing him, I fully expected him to tell me what I did right and wrong. “If there was going to be a test, I would’ve made dessert.”

He looked right into my eyes, almost daring in a way. “I’m sure you can improvise.”

He wasn’t talking about food.

It made my heart skip a beat and sent a warm thrill through my balls. “I’m sure I can.”

He licked his lips and smiled. “So? Should we look over the maps before or after dinner?”

“After.”

I took the green leafy salad from the fridge, uncovered it, and spritzed it with dressing before dishing up a decent square of lasagne onto two plates. He carried them to the table, I carried the salad, then grabbed the bottle of red wine I’d bought on my way home, and set it between our plates. I pulled out Lawson’s seat and lit the candle while he sat down and got comfortable. “This is very lovely,” he said.

“Thank you.” Using the tongs, I scooped out a portion of salad onto his plate, then mine, and then poured his wine first. “Did you get everything done you wanted to this afternoon? You were transferring something to your laptop?”

“Yes. I know most people detest data entry, but I don’t mind,” he said. He took a small mouthful of lasagne and chewed and swallowed appreciatively. “This is very good.”

“It’s my Nonna’s recipe.”

“Nonna?” he asked. “Is your family Italian?”

“On my mum’s side. My dad’s side came here with the convicts.”

Lawson smiled and sipped his wine. “My family’s about five generations Australian. Before that we came from England and Ireland.” He ate another forkful of lasagne and hummed as he swallowed it down. “Tell me about Rosemary.”

“She’s almost three. I got her when she was about eight weeks old. Full of mischief but the brightest eyes you’ve ever seen. Smart as a whip. Smarter than me, anyhow.”

“And her name?” he asked. “Rosemary isn’t a very common name for a dog.”

I had to finish my mouthful before I could speak. “There’s a thicket of rosemary that runs down the side of the house. The day I brought her home, she ran straight for it and I couldn’t get her out of it. She’d roll in it, lay in it, chew it. And I couldn’t pick a name for her, but every time anyone would pick her up, they’d say, ‘oh, rosemary,’ so it kinda stuck.”

He smiled as I told my story, then nodded over to where she was asleep in her bed. “She’s very spoilt.”

“One hundred per cent,” I agreed. “She normally comes out into the field with me. If I have a day where I’m out and about in the national parks, she’s usually sitting right up beside me. If I hadda known we were gonna be out all day, I would’ve brought her along.”

“Next time then.”

“Will there be a next time?” My heart stopped while I waited for his answer.

“Do you not have work to do?” he asked, but he smiled as he spoke.

“Of course. But like I said, helping out on a conservation study is work-related. If you’re busy doing your thing, I can do my own reports and data collation when I’m out. Take photos of vegetation, soil reports, water levels, check on some known animal habitats, check fencing, that kind of thing.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “I’d like that very much.”

Again with the belly somersault. “Me too.”

We ate our dinner, of which Lawson devoured everything in front of him. When his plate was clean, he leaned back and patted his stomach. “Wow. Compliments to the chef and to your Nonna. That was delicious.”

I grinned proudly. “Secret is in the ricotta.”

“I look forward to seeing what you can do for Date Number Three.”

I raised an eyebrow at him but could feel the smile spreading on my face. “I thought you were waiting until you were leaving for your full assessment.”

He rolled his eyes. “I think we both know there will be another one. I wouldn’t mind seeing Rosemary again.”

I scoffed. “Thank you very much. I’ll never doubt where your affection lies again.”

He chuckled, then sipped his wine. “So tell me, why are you single?”

Right. Straight to the point.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You are single, aren’t you? Because the likelihood of a third date balances precariously on your answer.”

“I am most definitely single,” I answered. “As to why… well, the last guy I was seeing lived in Hobart, and the commute didn’t work for him.”

“Oh.”

“And the guy before that lasted only two dates. The first date, we had dinner in Launceston. That went okay. Second date, I invited him here. He got as far as the gate before Rosemary started to growl. That was the end of that.”

“Dogs are outstanding judges of character.”

“They are. I’d trust her judgement before any human I know.”

“She likes me.” Then he tilted his head. “Was asking me here some kind of test?”

I laughed. “Yes. And you passed with flying colours.”

He seemed put out for half a second before the smile he was fighting won out. He sipped his wine, and I did the same. “And commuting or any kind of long distance relationships are out?”

So I wasn’t alone in thinking this could be the start of something… Yes, we lived in different states but were most definitely on the same page. I put my wine glass on the table and met his gaze. “For him it was. Not me.”

“Good.” He nodded slowly before giving me that shy smile that belied his forthright nature. He stood up and collected our plates. “Let’s get this cleaned up, then we pull those maps out.”

Twenty minutes later, the kitchen was sparkling, a second glass each of wine was poured, and a large map was unfolded, spread out on the dining table. “If you mark on there, I can transfer it to this,” Lawson said, showing me the exact same map on his laptop. “I prefer to have both. There’s no saying my laptop will work when I’m hours from anywhere, so it’s best to have it on both. Particularly for safety reasons.”

“Smart,” I said with a nod. “Especially if you go out by yourself, like you said you were prone to do.”

“I always leave a detailed map of where I’m going with my professor or colleagues if I go solo.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’d be loath for the news headline to read ‘Genius is an idiot who gets lost’.”

I laughed at that, then showed him the vegetation maps Parks and Wildlife Services had, outlining documented locations of the particular plant he was after. I transferred the info onto his paper map, and he did the digital. Then I added in the locations I’d seen it personally, paying particular attention to the factors he said were important to his species of butterfly. North facing aspect, warmer climes.

Lawson pointed out the area he intended on searching in the morning and wrote down the GPS locations in his online journal. I really admired how meticulous he was. He was particular about the details, and that probably annoyed some people. But not me.

He was standing, leaning over his laptop, and I was standing beside him, where I’d been studying the unfolded map. I looked at him instead. “Still want me to join you tomorrow?”

He stood up straight and turned to face me. I wasn’t aware of how close we were until then. Until he looked up at me and I could see the flecks of gold in the blue of his eyes and how long his eyelashes were. His skin was perfect in its paleness, his lips looked redder than I remembered.

“I’d very much like to kiss you right now,” he mumbled.

I wasn’t sure if he’d meant to say that out loud, but it was like he read my mind. I cupped my hand to his jaw. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“I can tell,” he whispered. “You look at my mouth―”

I covered his lips with my own, and he eagerly met my kiss. God, he tasted so good. He felt even better. Lawson wrapped one arm around me and slid his other hand through my hair and slipped his tongue into my mouth. It almost buckled my knees.

I groaned into his kiss and pulled him against me. He came willingly, melting into my arms. He gave himself to me in that moment. In that kiss. He was putty in my hands, and I wanted to mould him, I wanted to take him, claim and make him mine.

All this from just a kiss. My world had tilted on its axis, nothing would ever be the same again.

From just one kiss.

Lawson hummed before pulling back a little. I cupped his face in my two hands and fluttered my eyelashes against his cheek.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“Butterfly kisses,” I murmured before pressing my lips to his once more.

His eyes danced with something like happiness, but just when I thought he was going to say he should go, he surprised me yet again.

I should know better than to expect anything but the unexpected.