Chapter 64

A patio table and a citronella candle flickering between them, Drake scanned the dark yard in an attempt not to stare at Zoe. A humid breeze relieved the sticky heat and the trickle from the nearby riverbed mingled with the chirp of crickets. Birch and sequoia leaves crackled, their branches creating shadows within the shadows.

She'd been at his house for an hour, and already his nerves were frayed. It had started with her may I come in request. As if she hadn't already burrowed under his skin. How much farther could she go? Then the chaos continued straight through redecorating discussions and into dinner. Outside. On his patio. Under the stars. Hell, there were even fireflies winking in the distance.

Her outfit hadn't helped. Jeans that had more holes than denim and a skin-tight white T-shirt which left nothing to the imagination. And yeah, he was starting to imagine all sorts of things. It wasn't simply her clothes or the way she wore them that had his pulse thrumming.