Even on the chilly October night, heat rushed through me.
Stars. Just keep it on the stars. “A constellation.” I pointed up above the barn. “Look.”
He leaned his head down closer to mine to have the same perspective. His warm breath danced across my arm. I sighed.
Out loud.
Ugh. Keep it together.
“See those bright stars right there?”
Scott’s chest pressed against my side. I cleared my throat.
“It makes a wide W with the brighter stars.” My finger shook as I followed the pattern again. “Can you see it?”
I turned my face to his, only to find his eyes searching mine and not the stars. I stilled and stared at his face. He grabbed my extended arm and ducked under it, putting himself even closer to me.
His eyes dropped to my lips and didn’t jump back to my eyes. Goosebumps ran up my spine.No, don’t look at his lips. I focusedon his chest instead, watching the rise and fall of each deep breath he took. I was sure his chest was the safer bet, but as I watched it catch, my hand reached up and rested over his heart.Stupid hands!
Feeling a whisper of fingertips under my chin, I looked back up at his face. His eyes showed intensity and passion as he leaned his head to mine. His lips parted a breath away from mine.He’s going to kiss me! Oh, my gosh! Is this what I wanted?
His eyebrows rose a fraction. I knew what he was asking. Can he kiss me?
What about England? And my future plans?
I bit my lip and heard a groan in the back of his throat. Plans weren’t my thing anyway, and I desperately wanted him to kiss me.
I took my free arm and wrapped it up around his other shoulder and twirled the little curl at the base of his neck. My mouth went dry as Scott leaned into my touch and closed his eyes.
Raising up on my tiptoes, I brushed my lips against his. The touch wasn’t fiery or out of control. It was more like a whisper. A whisper of what-ifs and who-knows. My hand grazed the light stubble on his chin. The left side of his mouth turned up in a self-satisfied grin.
“Maybe Peter ends up with Tink after all.” Scott whispered as his fingers brushed down my jawline.
I felt a breathy laugh come out of my throat.What was he saying?But before I could ask, he wrapped his hand around the small of my back and pulled me to him, removing any distance between us. I could feel his heartbeat hammering, matching my own, fast and erratic.
“You have kissed me twice tonight.” He gave me a wolfish grin. “My turn,” he challenged. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss near my ear. His warm breath sent shivers down my spine and my breath hitched. My senses were overwhelmed.
His kisses continued.
My ear.
My cheek.
The left side of my mouth.
My lips. I felt the tip of his tongue trace along my bottom lip.
The trail was fire and ice and I shuddered. I grabbed his shoulders and deepened the kiss. If I didn’t know better, I would've sworn we were flying, and I never wanted to land.
“Alright, Tink.” Scott leaned his head back, breaking the kiss. Both of us were a little winded and flushed. He slid his hands down my arms, rubbing the goosebumps that had erupted all over me. “You better get home before you get sick.” He thought I was cold, but I was far from it. My insides were on fire.
But fire burned, fire destroyed. My throat tightened and I leaned away.
“I will see you tomorrow.” He kissed my forehead and opened my door. I slid into the driver’s seat. I was there, but also floating in the clouds. Scott closed the door only to have it bounce back toward him.
I shook my head, waking from the stupor. “Oh, I’ve got it. You really have to slam it.” Scott stepped back, and I opened the door and pulled it shut with all my force. Then I turned and smiled at Scott. He was chuckling and shaking his head. I put the car into drive and drove off before I did something stupid like ask him if he wanted to be more than friends.
Chapter Twenty-One
