A small, gravelly laugh sounds from his mouth just before it caresses my skin once more. “I am.”
“You date a lot of women.”
“I did.”
My heart thumps in my chest, and if by some miracle Lucca can’t feel it, I don’t want to give myself away. Still, I say, “And you kiss all the girls.”
But Lucca doesn’t have an answer for this. He just kisses further up my arm.
“Right?” I say, as if his confirmation will fix our strange situation.
“Wrong,” he says.
Wrong? What’s he saying? My heart pounds harder. My pulse races. I blink—what am I doing? He’s getting me drunk with his lips on my wrist. I gasp—I can’t be drunk—and yank my arm from his hold.
We rock with the force of my movement. The unevenweight of Lucca in the middle and me on the edge has this thing moving with more fervor than I would have thought. We tip up, down, then—over.
“Oof,” I grunt as my back hits the ground and Lucca lands on top of me.
Forty
I have tumbledinto the most adorable creature I’ve ever beheld in my life. I push up with my arms, my elbows and forearms on the ground, and peer down into Maggie’s face. “Are you okay?”
With her hair flared on the ground, she squints up at me, one hand rising to rub at where my head bopped hers. “I can’t completely breathe, but otherwise I’m fine.”
My brows cinch. “You can’t breathe?”
“Well, no. Not well.” She takes one long blink before staring at me. “You’re sort of crushing me.”
“Oh.” I lift my chest from hers and rise onto my hands.
“Ahem.” Someone in white tennis shoes and standing just to the side of us clears their throat. “Lemonade?”
Still on her back, Maggie’s eyes dart to the left to look at the intruder. Hermother. Then again, this is her mother’s house. I suppose if anyone is intruding, it’s me. “Ohh?—”
“I’ll take some.” I move myself until I’m standing over Maggie, my hand out to help her up. “Thank you, Mrs. McCrae.”
The woman’s cheeks redden. “Please, call me Hailey.”
I’m still smiling at the older woman when Maggie’s hand slips into mine. I pull her up, possibly too forcefully. Her chest bumps mine, and I grab both her upper arms to steady her.
“Goodness,” Hailey says. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Uh, yes. Fine.” But she squeezes her eyes shut. “Maybe a little lightheaded. But fine.”
“Maybe you should sit in the hammock,” Hailey says.
“No!” Maggie takes one step away from Wyatt’s cozy little seat and me. “Not necessary.” But it’s not all that convincing as she sways again.
“Heavens, Maggie Pie,” Hailey balks. “Come inside. You need to sit.” The sliding back door is still wide open. Hailey walks toward it, the two glasses of lemonade in her hands.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. McCrae, I’ve got her.”
I take one step toward Maggie, who holds a finger out to me.
“Lucca Cruz, I swear, if you try to pick me up, I will knee you in the groin, then vomit all over your shoes.”
My brow furrows. “Knee me?”
