“The moon is just a sliver tonight, Aerin, and I heard that it’ll be a nearly cloudless night,” she started, after we crossed a wave of green lights, not answering the question, yet. “I don’t know if you’d managed to go up to the deck in the roof of the house?”

“I did, yeah. You did a really good job with that deck, Harley. I don’t recall seeing that in the original plans of the remodeling that Chris showed me before …”

“Well, I can tell you all about what happened there during construction,” she flicked a glance at me, and then trained her eyes forward again, “and about what I was thinking of earlier about your story with your Nana, and other things — if you’d like to hang out with me in the deck tonight?”

We remained lucky with the green lights, and I could see we were making quick progress down Lincoln. When she finally slowed in anticipation of a red light, I smiled and pulled on her hand to my mouth, this time. “Hmm … all the stars will be out tonight, won’t they? With the moon being so tiny, and the clouds nearly absent?”
I saw the tiny corners of her mouth curve again.

“I don’t know if my heart could take any more romance and seduction tonight, Ms. Barton-Ash. With my head is spinning as it is,” I said mock-seriously. “So, I think seeing you bathed in starlight, and possibly cuddled up with you, under a throw, while looking up at a million stars, will finally drive me…”

I paused and sucked one of those long, tapered fingers into my mouth.

She drew a sharp breath in. “Drive you what?” she asked, at length.

“Insane, what else?” I asked with a light laugh. “Nuts! Crazy! Batty! Over you, Harley Barton-Ash. If that wasn’t true already …”

She flicked another glance at me, and licked her lips. “Hmm… you’re giving me ideas there,” she said in a seductive, teasing voice. “So, given your condition, and the fact that you won’t be able to drive to your hotel tonight, our choices are, either we lie in each other’s arms under the stars, or we cuddle up in my oh-so-comfortable bed?”

“That’s what’s known as a false choice, honey,” I answered, with a bit of a nervous laugh. “Not exactly being caught between a rock and the deep blue sea. But close.”