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“Shit…” Noah muttered.
“That’s all you,” Jackson muttered. “See you tomorrow.”
“Umm, yeah. Night, Lieutenant.”
As Noah hurried away from them, Trinity frowned up at Jackson.
He used his anger to push the lust down. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?”
“Anything,” he growled as he pushed the door open and led them outside. “Don’t say anything at all.”
Chapter Five
Jackson pushed through the door and gulped in the fresh sea air like a man drowning. There was something about Katrina Cross that got under his skin. He opened his mouth to vent some of his anger when he felt her small hand slip into his. Shocked, he stared down at the woman who had his emotions tied in knots. Surprisingly, the tension instantly eased from his body as if it had never been, and that left him feeling even more confused.
“What the hell am I going to do with you, Katrina Cross?”
She smiled at him. “You can buy me some ice cream.”
A startled laugh slipped free. “You just ate a cheeseburger as big as your head. Now, you want ice cream?”
“What can I say, I have a sweet tooth. I saw the ice cream parlor earlier when we parked. How can I resist a place called Creamy Delights?”
Shaking his head, Jackson strolled down the street with her at a leisurely pace that was completely foreign to him. He was also acutely aware that their hands were still linked together. Thinking back over his life, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d done something as simple as holding a woman’s hand on a soft spring night.
While they had been inside the pub, the day had faded into night. Stars were scattered across the dark sky overhead, and the sounds of laughter filled the air as people enjoyed the beautiful night.
She had been right.
This was turning out to be a date.
Jackson didn’t do relationships. Sure, he had sex, but he usually kept things simple. Straight-up sex, no emotional entanglements allowed. He made damn sure the women he hooked up with knew the score before the affair began, and if and when they started to push for more, he immediately called it quits.
He liked to keep things uncomplicated, which meant no messy emotional spillage or backlash that would ruin his quiet, organized life. But as he looked back over at the gorgeous woman walking next to him, a part of him knew that he could kiss the quiet goodbye. That was if he wanted to risk getting involved with her.
Hell, who was he kidding?
Jackson was already involved with her, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
He was usually attracted to pretty women who were just on the side of submissive. He liked them quiet, polite, and uncomplicated. Katrina Cross was the exact opposite of that. He’d bet a month’s pay that there wasn’t a submissive bone in her entire body. She was bold, brazen, and a little brash.
And dangerous.
Damn it, the truth was she fucking fascinated him.
“What’s your favorite?”
Her question startled him out of his musings. “Favorite what?”
She swung their arms playfully. “Ice cream flavor, silly.”
“I don’t really…I guess chocolate chip mint.”
“Mmm, good choice.”
He waited a few heartbeats, then asked, “What’s yours?”