Page 16 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

Along the wall of the garage, planters filled with flowers overflowed onto every step. It was hard to tell the exact color of the petals in the dark, but the greenery had crept so far onto each stair that my size-twelve boots could barely fit without squashing leaves.

I was forced to climb the staircase right against the railing as I made my way to the landing at the top. The exterior light was on, illuminating the door, but inside it was completely dark.

Because it’s one in the morning, dumbass.

I looked down the steps, debating whether or not I should knock. What was I even going to say? Hey, Willa. Remember me? Turns out, I’ve been dreaming about you. Crazy, huh?

She’d call the cops before I had the chance to finish.

Still, my doubts didn’t stop me from rapping my knuckles twice on the tan door. I regretted it instantly.

I was going to scare Willa to death.

I turned, hoping she hadn’t heard me knock. If I was lucky, I could make my escape and she’d never know I was here. But right as my foot landed on the first step down, a light flipped on inside.

Shit. I manned up and came back to the landing, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting. As I waited for the door to open, I said a quick prayer that I’d gotten the right house and I wasn’t about to be greeted by an angry man with a shotgun.

A long, narrow window next to the door was covered with a sheer curtain. A dainty hand yanked it to the side and Willa’s face appeared behind the glass. Her eyes flared as she looked me up and down.

“Hey.” I slipped a hand from my pocket and gave her a corny wave.

Her face disappeared from the window and she freed the deadbolt. My heart was thumping in triple time as she turned the door’s knob.

“Jackson?” She opened the door an inch.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry, it’s late.”

The door opened wider and she stepped under the frame. Her hair was piled in a huge, blond nest on top of her head. She was wearing yellow pajama pants with white stars on the cotton and a thin, white V-neck tee.

“What are you doing here?” Her arms crossed underneath her breasts, thrusting them higher. In the cool night air, her nipples hardened.

My cock jerked behind my zipper and I used every bit of my willpower to keep it from growing hard.

“I, uh . . . this is going to sound crazy.” My motto for the night. “I’ve been having these dreams. About . . . you. I was wondering if maybe you’d want to, um . . .” I should have thought this through. What exactly did I want from Willa?

A date, I guess.

“Um, what?” she asked, waiting for an answer.

“Would you want to maybe go out sometime?”

Her mouth fell open, ever so slightly, and I stared at her bottom lip. It was so full and pink. Her lips were the perfect shade for her complexion. They matched the sexy blush of her cheeks.

“You want to go out with me?”

I nodded, the corners of my mouth turning up as I waited for the inevitable yes.

But my grin fell when she took one big step backward.

And slammed the door in my face.

“Did that just happen?” I asked the door.

Now he decides to show up?

Now he asks me on a date?

Now?