Page 17

JEN

THIRTY MINUTES LATERfound the two of us sitting under the shade of an outdoor cafe’s umbrella, eating cheeseburgers and fries. Tyler seemed a bit preoccupied, checking his cell phone every few bites.

“Do you have somewhere else to be?” I finally asked. “We can leave if you need to.”

“Hmm?” Tyler looked up at me bemusedly.

“You’ve been sort of quiet ever since the, uh, stair affair.” I shrugged as if I wasn’t concerned, but inside I worried I’d taken my teasing a bit too far. To my surprise, I was enjoying the day, and I would kick myself if I had ruined it. He always seemed so in control of himself, and I guess I just wanted to rattle his cage for a change. Now I didn't feel it was worth the slight victory I felt.

“Stair affair?” he spluttered. He stared at me for a few seconds, then threw back his head and laughed heartily.

“I’m glad I amuse you,” I said, rolling my eyes at him but relieved all the same.

“You keep me on my toes, that’s for sure,” he replied, still chuckling. “Seriously, I’m sorry. I’m waiting for a message that should be coming any minute.” As if on cue, his phone chimed. His thumbs moved rapidly over the keys before he put the phone back on the table. “Are you ready to go?”

I tried to ignore the twinge of discontentment that settled in my stomach at the idea of our time together drawing to a close. “Sure,” I murmured. I balled up the sandwich paper and tossed it and the rest of our trash in the garbage can. I started in the direction that I thought led to the exit.

I felt the back of my pants become caught and looked to see that Tyler had hooked a finger in my waistband. He pulled until I was standing flush against him, leaving his hand on my back. I looked up at him. He stared back unwaveringly. I willed him to kiss me, and his head lowered. My lips parted in anticipation. Just before they touched, he whispered, “Wrong way, sassy pants. And you better believe I want it . . . but I won’t beg for it.”

His hand slid across my butt and gave it a swat. I yelped in surprise, drawing some amused looks from other nearby patrons. With a satisfied gleam in his eyes and a cocky smile, he turned and took a few steps in the opposite direction. Stunned, I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. I could still feel the sensation where his hand left its mark, and that wasn’t the only place that tingled.

He paused mid-stride and turned toward me. “Coming?” he questioned. He held out his hand, arching an eyebrow as if issuing another dare. A sudden lightness settled over me, and I couldn’t help but smile at the warmth that spread over his face as I accepted his hand.

He veered off on a path labeled ’Elephant House.’

“I love elephants!” I shaded my eyes and searched the grassland area. “Oh, no! They’re way over there, laying in the water hole where we can’t see them,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment. “I wish they were closer.”

Tyler shrugged. “Huh. That’s too bad.” He continued down the path. When we reached a steel door with a passcode lock on it, he paused and knocked on a door marked ‘Employees Only.’

“Tyler, what are you doing?” I whispered, even though there was no one other than him to hear me. “No one is going to answer it.”

As if Tyler’s withering glance wasn’t enough to challenge my statement, the door opened not two seconds after the words left my mouth. Standing on the other side was an attractive man with startling blue eyes. He wasn’t overly tall, only coming to the same height as Tyler’s chin, but the way he filled out his uniform made the otherwise boring khaki shirt and shorts look almost sexy. Sandy blond curls lay in sweaty disarray beneath the brim of his cap, and a few streaks of dirt bisected one of his arms. His welcoming grin belied any discomfort he might be feeling. “Ty! It’s been awhile!” They gave each other a typical brief man-hug, slapping each other on the back before parting.

“It has,” Tyler agreed. He stretched an arm toward me and drew me near, but dropped it back to his side. “This is my . . . this is Jen,” he said. “Jen, this is my friend, Evan. We’ve known each other since college.”

Evan and I both raised an eyebrow at Tyler’s near slip of the tongue. I wondered what he had been about to call me.

“Jen, it’s nice to meet you,” Evan greeted me with a warm smile. “I’m glad Tyler finally took some time off and came for a visit.”

I smiled at Evan’s warm welcome. “Do you work with the elephants?”

Evan smiled at my enthusiasm. “I’m working on my internship and certification in zoological medicine. I tried to talk Tyler into going to vet school with me, but he took the easy way out and decided to work with two-legged species instead.” He leaned in closer to me. “Personally, I think he was just afraid of getting bit.” He stood straight and winked at me.

Tyler grinned. “Oh, I’ve had a few who’ve tried to bite me, also.”

We all laughed as we moved inside the room. “So,” he looked at me. “I hope you like elephants.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I love them. But they were too far away to see much of them today.”

“Would you like to see one up close?”

“Really?” I bounced on my toes and clapped my hands. I snuck a peak at Tyler, slightly embarrassed at my childish behavior, but he was smiling back at me. “Is this why you were texting so much earlier?”

He nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything in case Evan couldn’t pull it off.”

I flung my arms around him and kissed him. I only meant for it to be a quick peck on his cheek, but his arms whipped around me, and he turned his head before I could move away. “You’re welcome,” he whispered against my lips. I stared into his golden brown eyes that gazed back with such warmth that began to grow with more intensity, as did a hardness I could feel against my lower stomach. I’m sure it was only a few seconds that we stood together, but I got so lost in the moment I forgot where we were until the clearing of a throat snatched my attention back.

I turned around to direct my attention back to Evan, who was watching us with interest. “Thank you so much for arranging this, Evan. I would love to see and learn more about the elephants here.” Evan grinned and began to explain about the ‘elephant barn,’ the structure that housed the animals. I tried hard to pay attention, but I was distracted when Tyler’s hands rested on my shoulders so that I remained in front of him. A giggle escaped me as I realized he needed a minute to settle himself. His fingers tightened on my shoulders. “The downfall to being a guy in a public place,” he whispered in my ear, “is it’s a constant struggle to hide the evidence when a beautiful woman has caught his interest.”