Tongues swirled, hair was grasped, and moans escaped. It had been so long since she’d been kissed like this. And man, did it feel good. Against her better judgment, she’d envisioned this moment. More than once, if she was being totally honest.
“We should probably head back in,” she said reluctantly after a few minutes. It was that, or invite him back to her place, and she couldn’t leave the reception so early.
“Tess, I want to take you out. On a date.”
She sighed. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” The possible repercussions of this make-out sesh hadn’t fully hit her yet, but she was certain they would soon.
“Why not?”
“You’re only here for the summer. It’s a small town. If things go south, it could get complicated.”
“Hanging out with you and your friends has been the best part of being here,” Logan said. “And I don’t want to make things awkward between us, but I can’t hide how I feel anymore.”
“Oh yeah. And how’s that?”
“I like you,” he said. “I’ve liked you since you side-eyed me at the coffee shop when I interrupted your conversation with Hope. Then a little more when you dove over that cliff to save Joseph. More still, when you slogged out of the lake, sopping wet.” He smiled at the memory, and she slapped him playfully.
“I guess I like you too,” she admitted. “Sticking up for me when Joseph called me bossy. Saving my butt from the wolves. And that dunk in the basketball tourney? Hot.”
“I’m still paying for that. I think I pulled a hammy.” He chuckled, but quickly got back on task. “At first, I thought maybe I was just bedazzled by your camping skills, or seduced by your blunt, tell-it-like-it-is personality, but it’s more than that. It’s only been two weeks, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. Do I sound crazy right now?”
“A little, but I get it. We’ve hung out a lot in those two weeks.”
“I understand I had to be relegated to the friend zone during the campout, but I’d like a chance to move up.”
He was saying all the right things. But she couldn’t help that nagging feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling her. He misinterpreted her hesitation.
“Oh, crap.” He smacked his forehead. “You’re not actuallydatingCarter, are you?”
“No,” she said. “It’s not that. I haven’t talked to him since the softball game.”
“Okay.” He dragged out the word. “So, what do you think?”
“You don’t have a secret family back in Texas, do you?”
“Huh? No. Just my brother.”
“You by chance dying?”
His brows knit in confusion.
“Never mind.” She flicked a hand. “Fine. I guess we can try dating.”
He kissed her again to seal the deal and, hand-in-hand, they returned to the reception.
“Please ignore my friends for the next five minutes.”
“Why?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” she muttered. As they approached the table, five pairs of eyes met hers. They all sat ramrod straight, lips pressed together, glancing between Tess and Logan’s intertwined hands.
“Get it out of your system,” Tess said. “Then shut up about it, all right?” That opened the floodgates.
“You go, girl,” Maddie said, holding up her hand for a high five, which Tess ignored.
“Yaaas,” Holly said. “I knew it. Pay up, Faith.”
“I didn’t bet they wouldnever,” Faith said. “I just thought Tess would take longer to break.” Still, she pulled out a twenty and handed it to Holly.
