And then, he stopped, pulling his lips back from mine a fraction of an inch.
My eyes opened, meeting his wild gaze with confusion. His chest dipped up and down in the water, breathing heavily.
“Interesting,” he said, his voice gravelly. “I don’t remember you winning a kiss.”
Disappointment laced through me at his words. Until amusement flared in his eyes. I splashed water on him in outrage and turned away with a short laugh, intent on hiding my heart if he was only going to turn it into a joke.
I made it half of a step before his hand was at my arm, pulling me back to him. My hands landed at his chest, and then he was kissing me again. His hands held my face as his mouth moved over mine. Hard, fast, slow, sweet…it was all-consuming.
“Looks like I forgot to read the fine print,” he mumbled some time later.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. It says that you can kiss me anytime you want.”
I swallowed, adjusting my grip on his shoulders. “That’s pretty open-ended fine print.”
“I don’t make the rules.”
My eyes trailed down to his lips. Every moment we stalled it brought me one step closer to remembering myself. There was a time for everything. A time to live in the moment and a time to live in the real world. The real world was calling now.
“We better get back,” I said. “Your grandparents might be worried.”
“They’re not,” he said.
A laugh bubbled out of me. I tipped my head down to escape his gaze.
When I finally gathered the courage to meet his eyes, I said, “I think our Idaho moment is about over.”
“There’s an interesting word in that sentence.”
I shook my head, trying desperately to keep the smile off of my face. I failed.
“What word is that?”
He leaned forward, his mouth a whisper away from mine. “About.”
He caught my smile with his lips until ever so slowly our mouths began to soften and our lips began a dance. A tango of longing and sweetness, perfect for the moment. Our moment.
All too soon, Duke pulled back, as though he sensed my own hesitation. His brown eyes were sweet and kind as he rose up and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
Before I knew what he was doing, he bent down and picked me up like a sack of flour, ignoring my elated squeals, and threw me over his shoulder as he picked his way out of the water.
I had been right. Whatever came next, I knew this had been a moment not to be missed.
21
It wasa chilly motorcycle ride back to the house. I leaned into Duke, my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Duke wanted me to get the most out of my riding-a-motorcycle bucket list item and proceeded to take every turn and hill possible on the way back. By the end of the ride, sinking into the turns instead of pulling away had become second nature.
I could no longer deny the pull I felt toward Duke. My feelings were vast and deeper than anything I’d ever experienced. From the time we met, three years earlier, there had been something between us. Something I’d tried to push aside for so long, first thinking I’d never see him again, but then again when I did. He had wrapped me up in a bundle of flirting and friendship so unexpected that I didn’t know what to feel. I’d held my heart so guarded for so long, and his surprise attack had been quick and efficient, disarming me so gently with toilet brushes and squeegees, flirtatious notes, and countless smiles.
We each took one of the two bathrooms to shower. I opted for the main guest bathroom, with the sea-green carpet and rose-pink walls, while Duke showered in his grandparents’ bathroom. Being in a place brimming with love and a cozy sense of family began pricking at emotions inside of me that were long-since dormant. I didn’t allow myself to dwell. Instead, I got dressed and twisted my hair up into a messy wet bun, not wanting to take the time to dry it. It was close to six in the evening, and we had to get on the road. I opened the door and nearly ran into Duke in the hallway. He wore his sexy jeans again and smelled like a delicious kind of manly soap. His tousled hair glistened, looking like he’d just run his fingers through instead of a comb.
“You smell good,” I said like an idiot before thinking that statement through.
“Thanks,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “Better get closer, then.”
I laughed and tried to wiggle free as we bounded down the stairs, but as we rounded a bend in the staircase, I swore, stopping abruptly.
