Her arms wrapped tight around his neck, pulling him closer. She wanted to feel the heat of his body, his broad shoulders beneath her palms.
“Kevin, is that Jasmin at the door?” his mother called from inside.
He broke the kiss, looking irritated. “No, Mom!” he yelled back. “It’s…It’s one of those…” He struggled to find a believable excuse. “It’s one of those Bible pushers…the real preachy type, too. I’m trying to get rid of her.”
Jasmin giggled. “Why are you lying?”
“I just want you to myself for a few minutes.”
His lips came down on hers again. This time it was just lust. A blistering hot kiss that had her clinging to his jacket for support when her knees got weak.
She heard someone clear his throat beside them and Kevin immediately took a step back.
“I think we need to start going to church more often.” His father gave them an amused smile. “I had no idea that this is how you kids are spreading the word of the Lord these days.”
As if her body wasn’t already heated from that kiss, now embarrassment caused a hot flush to rise to her cheeks. She wanted to melt into a puddle and seep through the wooden beams of the porch. “Oh…Mister Shepard…”
“Mark,” he corrected.
It wasn’t the first time he’d told her to address him by his first name and he spoke to her in the same casual tone he usually used whenever he interrupted one of their video chats. Somehow that made it more awkward…and humiliating. The first time she meets her boyfriend’s father in person and he catches her playing tonsil hockey with his son.
Kevin wiped the gloss off his lips with his thumb and returned the playful smile his father gave him. He, too, seemed completely unperturbed by the situation. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey.” He turned to her. “And how are you doing this fine morning, Jasmin?”
“I’m…good. As soon as I can get my head above all this embarrassment I’m drowning in, I’m sure I’ll be even better.”
“No need to be embarrassed. I was young too once. When Jess and I were younger, we used to—”
“Don’t want to hear about it, Dad,” Kevin cut in.
“Well, we have five kids,” his father said with a shrug. “You can figure out the rest.” He stepped back inside. “Jess, Jasmin’s here. Are you ready to leave?”
There were a few seconds of silence before Jasmin heard her footsteps heading towards the door. After excited hugs and kisses and compliments over each one’s outfit, they finally got into the car. They arrived at the church within a few minutes and from the number of cars in the parking lot, Jasmin could see how big his family was.
His parents were already making their way towards the entrance, but Kevin gripped her arm firmly to stop her from taking one step. “Hey, Mom. Save us a seat. We’ll be there in a minute.”
“Sure, honey.”
As soon as they disappeared from sight, he pulled her into his arms. “Now, where were we?”
His lips were on hers a second later. She got lost in his kiss again and almost forgot where they were.
An unfamiliar female voice reminded her. “Oh, yeah, Kev. Slip her the tongue,” she said. “I wonder if making out on holy ground is an automatic ticket to hell?”
With an irritated groan, Kevin broke the kiss and dropped his forehead against hers. “That’s Jordan,” he whispered.
For the second time in half an hour, Jasmin wanted to die from embarrassment. She was on a roll today. Kevin’s body was shielding her and she only caught sight of his tall, slender sister when he took a step back. She was beautiful; long, dark brown hair and the same blue-gray eyes as Kevin’s. A tall man—who she assumed was Tyler—stood behind her, towering above all of them. His broad frame was intimidating at first glance, yet his brown eyes and warm smile made him look approachable. He was handsome in that suave, sophisticated kind of way.
“God made the whole world,” Kevin replied. “Ergo…everywhereis holy ground.”
“You make a solid point, Bink.” Her eyes shifted to Jasmin. “Care to introduce us to the lovely lady you were sucking face with?”
Kevin shook his head at her bluntness. “Jeez, Jo!”
“You have to excuse her,” Tyler chimed in. “I’m still trying to find someone to fix her brain-to-mouth filter.”
“I’m just kidding,” Jordan told her. “It’s just a little payback for all the times they embarrassed me. Billy Mason. That’s all I’m saying.”
