She Belongs to Me by Carmen DeSousa

looked at her. “Are you doing anything illegal or immoral, or have you committed a crime against someone? ” His voice was serious at once; he sounded like a cop.
    “Of course not!” Her voice rose to nearly a shout.
    He smiled, shrugging. He looked to the left then started moving again, turning right. “Then it doesn’t matter. Whatever your life up to now is immaterial. When you trust me enough to tell me why you don’t believe in happiness, I’ll listen. Otherwise, as long as it doesn’t fit into one of those categories, it doesn’t matter.”
    They were silent as they drove toward the causeway. She thought about what he ’d suggested ; it sounded as if he wanted more than a couple of days.
    “That’s it up ahead.” Jaynee pointed to the yellow house-like structure with the front porch, its appearance similar to eateries located in the Florida Keys. She was so excited when they built it. Beforehand there wasn’t any place to get ice cream or dine on the causeway after sunset. “There are tables or we can take it with us,” she offered, appreciating the sound of “us” a little too much, and it was only their second non-date.
    Jordan parked and made his way around his truck to help her down. Placing his hands on either side of her waist, he lifted her, holding her up a second longer than necessary. His gaze locked with hers for a brief second, and Jaynee saw something she never saw in a man’s eyes. It was more than passion, there was hope. He set her down after a moment, not acting on the natural impulses. Instead, he led her across the parking lot, his arm tighter around her waist. She already felt comfortable with his protective touch, something foreign to her.
    He glanced down at her. “Are you hungry?”
    She suppressed a laugh by covering her mouth. Immature thoughts ran rampant. She was hungry all right but guessed that wasn’t what he was referring to. “No, ice cream will be fine. I am a big fan of ice cream.”
    “What’s funny?” He smiled at her. He probably thought she was crazy.
    “Nothing. I was just being silly. I’ll have mint chocolate-chip in a cup please,” she said, attempting to change the subject.
    Jordan paid for their dessert, and they returned to his truck. They drove over the drawbridge, approaching the dual line of palm trees bordering the beaches of Hurricane Pass. The sun, having dipped below the horizon within the last half-hour, shot brilliant bursts of brushstrokes in every spectrum from pink to red across the sky, saturating the heavens with warmth. But what made the display even more breathtaking, was sharing it for the first time with someone special.
    “ Caladesi and Honeymoon Island are voted in the top ten beaches in America, but they close at twilight. The causeway is pleasant to relax and watch the sunset, though unfortunately, we are a little late for that, too. Just pull into whichever section looks good,” she babbled on, wondering if Jordan thought she was insane.
    “It’s beautiful,” Jordan said with meaning. “It looks like a postcard.”
    Driving onto the beach, Jordan backed his truck close to the water’s edge. Jaynee waited while he walked around the back of his truck, dropped the tailgate and then opened her door. After h anding her his cup, he scooped her up into his arms before she could object. He carried her around to the truck bed and placed her gently on the tailgate. Tears actually formed in her eyes…she had never been treated so gentle.
    Jordan jumped up beside her in one agile move but then immediately noticed her tears. “Jaynee, what’s wrong, did I hurt you?” His eyes searched her face.
    She felt like a moron. She never cried—not lately anyway—and twice her eyes glazed over in his presence. “No, the opposite. Why are you treating me like this?” The ridiculous tears snaked aimlessly down her cheeks.
    “Like what? What did I do?” Grief filled his face as he reached to brush the tears away with his