She nodded. “I’m sorry. I just…”
“I know. And I don’t think you’re wrong for wanting to keep whatever we’re doing quiet.” He moved closer to her again. “What is it we’re doing?”
“Getting to know each other better.”
He could take that.
“Then let’s get to know each other better today. I should be done running around the place by about four.” He’d had the sense to employ security and event staff so everything should go smoothly. There had been a staff briefing the day before where people went through everything that needed to happen and when. It was as close to a military operation that Jake had ever been involved in, and while it had been fun, he was more than happy to get back to the everyday running of the farm when it was over.
“Okay.”
He was surprised she agreed. He’d thought there would’ve needed to have been more persuasion on his part.
“How about I call into yours at four. We can grab a coffee before the chaos starts.” There were a couple of bands playing that evening, seven until nine, just setting the atmosphere and giving the people who were staying from Thursday something to start with. Friday was from three, but in the run up to that proper opening, there were various additional things going on; a magician, planned impromptu music sessions, an acoustic set somewhere. Friday’s headliner was a big northern band who’d helped sell a lot of tickets. Saturday’s was a singer Jake hadn’t dreamed for one minute would accept the offer, while Sunday’s was more mellow, more folk and acoustic based.
He was excited. He lived for weekends like this, having been to plenty of festivals in the past. This would go further to putting Severton on the map, and boosting the tourist trade, but aside from that, this would be a weekend just to enjoy life. To be in the moment.
“Four’s good. I’ll sort the goats out. Is there anything else that needs picking up?”
Jake swallowed. Gulped.
“Five minutes alone with you now?” He managed to not sound like a teenaged boy begging a girl to go out with him.
Lainey smiled, the smile she had when she was amused by him. “Am I that addictive?”
He nodded, giving her the biggest eyes he could muster. “Five minutes. Keep me going till four.”
“’Kay.”
He wanted to take her hand, to lead her out of Yurt Village, which was becoming busier by the minute, and have that contact with her. Any contact with her.
“Hold my hand.” He stretched his arm out to her.
“You worried you’ll get lost in a crowd?” She laughed at him, but took his hand, weaving her fingers in with his.
He couldn’t help but smile even more widely. “I’m hard to lose.”
“I’ve gathered that. Tried a few times and failed.”
Jake shook his head, leading her down past the barriers that separated the public from the bands and workers, towards a narrow path, overgrown with brambles and bracken. It was a path he doubted Lainey had been down before as it was easily missed and rarely used, meaning that it was a bitscratchyto walk down, until the path broadened out.
It dropped down to the River Sever, further along than where they had been the evening before, to a part that was secluded and rarely found by walkers, who tended to take the higher path where it was less damp and muddy after rainfall.
Jake stopped by a fallen tree, one that had come down in a storm when he was six and had enjoyed using as a playground until he was about fifteen, when he’d used it as a spot for bringing girls to, a little like now, only he hadn’t brought a girl down here since he was about nineteen.
“One kiss before the madness starts.” He put his hands on Lainey’s waist, facing her. “One more taste of you until later.”
“Such a charmer.” Her arms went around his neck, her body pressing up against his.
“I can try harder to charm you. If I need to.” He wanted to, if it meant more time with her, if it meant persuading her to be with him, because he was pretty sure that this was where this was going.
If he could take her with him.
“I like you trying to charm me.” She didn’t wait for him to kiss her, instead taking charge and claiming his mouth for her own.
He let her, having no desire to fight her on this, just desire for more of her, more of everything. After a week or so of keeping his distance, he knew that he’d rather take what he could get than stay away. There had only ever been one woman Jake had been close to falling in love with, the woman who was now married to Scott, but looking back, it had been more infatuation that anything.
Nothing compared to how he was starting to feel about the woman who was in his arms now. He let himself get lost in her kiss for a moment, his hands sliding down to her ass and cupping it, pulling her closer to him.
