“Oh sh—” But before I can finish my sentence, a strong bicep loops around my stomach—and my feet are off the dock.
For a moment, I’m totally air-bound, then a rush of water closes over my head, ruining all my efforts to keep my blowout intact.
Sputtering, I come to the surface, wiping the hair out of my face as Nate drags me away from the dock in a lifeguard carry. “What the hell?” I manage to squeak out right as the first firework goes off. There’s a boom and then a high-pitched squeal as the first firework zings skyward.
“Are you okay?” he asks, spinning me around to face him. His hands come to either side of my face, and his eyes dart back and forth scanning to make sure I’m alright.
“I’m fine!” We’re both treading water now, and my legs keep brushing against his.
His hands soften on either side of my face, but he doesn’t remove them. “You can’t say ‘oh shit’ right after you’ve lit an explosive device and not tell me why!”
“It’s not that dangerous. I just wasn’t ready.”
“Sorry,” he says, looking into my eyes. “I guess I sort of have a protective streak. And you’re way too pretty to get your whole face blown off.”
I laugh quietly. “I’m back to thinking you reallydon’tknow anything about fireworks.”
With the back of his fingers, he traces the side of my face, sending shivers through my whole body. “I know a beautiful face when I see one though,” he says quietly—so quiet it’s almost a whisper.
I look at him, the droplets of water clinging to his hair and the light stubble along his jawline. Fireworks continue to explode over our heads in arcs of silver and gold. His fingers trace my lips, and I hitch a breath, parting them slightly at his touch.
“Nikki, I…” I notice him clench his jaw again, that subtle twitch when he’s looking at me like this…
“Shh,” I tell him, and close the gap between us.
It’s like I’m possessed by a force outside of myself, like the whole lake has conspired to bring our bodies together, our lips together.
One of his hands leaves my face and reaches behind my knee, pulling me even closer to him. I let out a gasp at the contact, and his tongue slips between my open lips to brush against mine. Then, just as quickly, it retreats to trace my bottom lip. Whatever goofiness he projects in his day-to-day life, he’s completely serious as he kisses me.
I wrap my arms around him, and somehow my other leg has wrapped around him too. He’s the only thing keeping me afloat. His lips are hot and sure, and our bodies move against each other under the water, and I haven’t had a kiss this good in… maybe forever.
He pulls back, his breathing ragged, and mine is too.
For a moment we just look at each other, both taking in thegravity of what’s just happened. Worry starts to creep up my spine, and then his dimples appear. “Pretty solid handshake, huh?”
That same light feeling I had earlier today at the farmstand returns, sweeping away any budding anxiety, and I give myself over to all of it—the sparkling reflections on the water, the lighthearted chemistry between us, the feeling of his hands on my skin.
The wild sensation that my old list of reasons to risk catching feelings again has just gone up in a burst of flames.
I throw my head back and laugh as another firework explodes above us.
9
IF THE FOUNDING FATHERShad ever experienced a hangover as brutal as the one I’m nursing this Fourth of July, I think they would have devised a holiday with a little less cannon fire.
I wince at the howl of a siren cutting through the air, alerting me to the start of the parade. I’m sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, downtown, where we’ve parked to enjoy the festivities as floats go by tossing candy and toys and swag into the singing crowd.
I was so exhausted and tipsy last night that I crashed out as soon as I hit the cot mattress, and I’ve barely had a moment to process any of it: Cara and Cooper’s engagement, the fact that my mom suggested they throw the wedding pretty much immediately, my whole conversation with Nate on the dock…
“Is this spot taken?” Nate asks from over my shoulder. I’d almost forgotten that he and his dad were joining us for today’s festivities. But now, my whole body has jolted awake again, as if I just sat on a firework.
“All yours.” I gesture to the curb beside me, trying to act casual and unbothered by his closeness. Hazy memories from last nightrush my mind as Nate takes a seat, his shoulders brushing mine. The spontaneousness of that kiss, the intensity of it. My hands running over his rippled muscles, wet with lake water. The way I felt like I was melting into him. Then, both of us swimming back to shore, forced to separate immediately and praying no one had seen our kiss from all the way on the yard.
I grab one of the paper fans the Lake Thomas town council just tossed out from their float and try to cool the heat rising along my skin. Try to convince myself the warmth on my cheeks and along my neck is definitely from the July sun, and not from Nate sitting inches away from me.
“Hey! Did we miss the Musgrove Real Estate float?” my dad asks, coming over to stand behind us. “I heard they’re giving out Snickers this year.”
He and Mom got a late start this morning and told the rest of us to go ahead and claim a good spot along the parade route. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve risen before my mother—I wonder if she’s also not feeling great this morning. Too much champagne,celebrating.
