She beams at the suggestion. “That’s a good idea. Let’s do it.”
I keep my hand on her elbow and lead us back to the bar. It’s not long until we each have a drink in hand and make our way out.
“Why don’t we sit first, and then take a walk after if we feel like it,” she suggests.
“Sounds like a plan.” My hand naturally goes to her waist as we meander to the wooden structure. It overlooks the water and large meadow beyond. On our way, I spot two deer.
“Look.” I point in the direction where they’re grazing in the meadow.
“Oh, pretty. I forgot how cool this place is. It’s been years since I was here. My parents used to bring Grayson and me when we were little. We’d have fishing lessons on the pond while Mom and Dad would relax on the patio. We had such a good time running around and playing.” She has a nostalgic look about her as we sit down.
“That sounds fun. Did you and your brother get along well then?”
“I’d say so. We had our moments, for sure. But with the four-year age gap, we didn’t bother each other too much. The most annoying thing about him was that all my friends ended up crushing on him.”
“I bet he loved that,” I say sarcastically, chuckling. “What about now? Are you close?”
Her eyes light up. “We are. At least as close as we can be, considering he left for the military after graduation and hasn’t been around. He’s a Navy SEAL and made a career out of it but he’s moving back right before Christmas. I’m so excited.” She beams.
“I’m glad. You think he’ll still be lecturing you away from men when he’s home?” That would certainly work out in my favor.
“Hey, how do you know he did that?”
Oh shit.I’m not the one she said that to; it was Owen.Fuck, fuck, fuck.“He’s your big brother, so I figured that’s standard. Besides, why else haven’t you been scooped up yet?” I’m internally crossing my fingers that it holds up.
She smirks. “Cheesy. But yeah, he might’ve had something todo with it. Luckily, I’m too old to be told what to do, otherwise, I’m sure he’d have plenty to say about this.”
I don’t like that she thinks he’d disapprove of me. But more importantly, I dodged a bullet with that slip-up.
Which leads me to the conclusion that I need to figure out this Owen thing and put it to rest once and for all. Speaking of, I wonder how she’ll handle canceling her talk with Owen tonight. Usually, I’m the one to text first, but unless she wants an interruption later, she’ll have to let him know her plans have changed before that.
“Now that’s a sunset,” I say, relieved at my narrow escape and ready to move on.
Her head turns to take in the view, and she smiles. “Oh wow. It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she blushes.
“Thank you. I’m glad we came out here.”
I reach for her hand and caress it as I answer, “I am too.”
She’s so tempting that I can’t resist leaning over, slowly bringing my mouth toward hers. But before I close the distance, I pause. This is her night, her choice, and if we kiss, it’ll be because she wants to.
A second later, I’m rewarded with her plump lips on mine. She’s tentative and shy in her approach, and I refrain from taking over right away, giving her time to explore and have the freedom to control the tempo.
She pulls back and draws her brows together. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you being… gentle?”
Her question and scrunched face make me chuckle before answering. “Because I want to show you another side of me.”
“What if that’s not what I want?”
“What do you want, then?”
“I don’t want gentle.”
