“With that laugh, I should’ve guessed.”
“Hey!” I bumped him with my shoulder as we both laughed. “That’s messed up. This is supposed to be a judgment free zone.” I gestured around. “You can’t bring me to this peaceful place and then judge me.”
“Hey.” He hooked his forefinger under my chin and turned my head to face him. “I would never judge you.”
My stomach fluttered at the intensity of his stare. “I know,” I murmured.
He licked his lips, and his thumb slid across my chin.
A distressed scream echoed from across the river, and the two of us whipped our heads toward the sound.
“Looks like the boat tipped,” Lamar guessed. He pointed to a little shimmering red spot in the water. “There was a small red boat that looked overcrowded floating out there.” He shook his head. “I hope they had life jackets.”
Once I saw where he was pointing, I noticed some reflective orange jackets with heads bobbing in the water. “I think they did. I see some orange over there. I hope they can swim.”
He shook his head. “I would hope so if they’re playing around and doing dumb shit in the river. You know there are no lifeguards over there.”
“No, I didn’t know that.” I frowned. “That’s wild.”
“You grew up down the street from Spring Hill and you’ve really never been to the river?”
“Never. I was working at the library or reading in the gazebo that used to be behind the library or watching football. I was a homebody.” I shrugged. “Besides, bodies of water where I can’t see the bottom freak me out. And not just because I can’t swim.”
He grinned. “Can’t sing and can’t swim. Got it.”
I laughed. “Wait, tell me one of your flaws. You can’t just be listing off mine without providing any of your own.”
“Aight.” He ran his hand down his beard before leaning over to me. “Between me and you, I don’t really fuck with heights.”
“You’re scared of heights?”
“I wouldn’t say ‘scared.’ But…” He started laughing. “Don’t judge me.”
“I’m not judging! Heights can be scary. But it’s just interesting because you’re so tall. I would imagine everything is up high way up there.”
“It is. But if I’m near a ledge or cliff, my center of gravity feels off. If I’m up here and the guardrail is down there”—he shook his head—“it just doesn’t work.”
I considered what he was describing. “Thatdoesmake sense. Those railings are so low, if you were to topple over, they wouldn’t be much help.”
“Exactly.” He emphasized his point with his hands. “So it’s not really the height, it’s the falling off the cliff. If that makes sense.”
I nodded. “It does. I get that.”
We both watched a bigger boat drag the capsized boat to shore. In the quiet that settled between us, something shifted. The clouds covered the sun briefly, and a gentle wind sent a chill down my spine. The crowd gathered across the river started shouting, and their cheers rang in my ears. But as I watched what was unfolding, I could barely focus on it.
Lamar was watching me, and I could feel it. I wasn’t nervous, but the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and a flutter swept through my belly. Warmth from his gaze heated my skin, and I basked in the feeling of him studying me. The longer it went on, the more apparent it was that I liked it.
“I’m curious about you,” Lamar stated softly.
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “What are you curious about?”
“Specifically…” He waited until I met his gaze before he continued. “I’m curious about the stuff you don’t say.”
I licked my lips and tried to steady my breathing. “Like what?”
“Like why you agreed to come out with me.”
My lips curled into a slow smile. “Because I like the way I feel around you.”
