“What’s that?” I took her hands.
“Maybe if you kissed it . . .”
I didn’t need any more encouragement than that. After a quick glance around to make sure we wouldn’t get caught, I pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Is that better?”
“Mmm. Not quite yet.”
“Let me try again.” I kissed her lips next, a perfectly polite peck that quickly turned into more.
The front door opened, and we broke apart. “Jasper, are you coming?”
“Be there in a minute,” I yelled. “That’s Mitchell. They’re waiting on me to come help in the orchard.”
“You should go then.” She nodded but the look in her eyes made me think she didn’t mean it.
“Will you be okay until lunchtime?” I didn’t want to leave her there, but I also didn’t want her tramping around in the orchard with me and the guys.
“I’ll be fine. I offered to help your mom with some stuff in the kitchen.” She put her hands on my shoulders and gave me one more kiss. “I’m a big girl. You know I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah. I get that. But I’d much rather you let me do it.” I left before I gave in to temptation, already looking forward to the next time I’d see her.
Finally, as I was about to take a break to satisfy the rumbling of my empty stomach, Dad called for a rest. Mom was headed down the path from the house to the orchard, her arms full of whatever she’d made for lunch. Buster raced ahead of her, his tail wagging, his head bounding above the long grass that framed the path on either side. I reached down to pet him, causing Buster’s tail to wag at a frenzied pace. Then he looked up, his gaze catching on Delilah.
She had her hair piled on top of her head and wore a curve-hugging T-shirt and a pair of jeans that could have been painted on. My stomach clenched, then rolled, then gave way to a warmth that radiated out from my core.
“We brought lunch.” Mom held the big picnic basket in her hands.
My brothers abandoned their tasks, drawn by the smell of barbecued chicken and fresh-baked biscuits. Delilah held a bowl of salad. I walked over, hyperaware of the smile on her face, feeling pretty damn proud of myself for being the one who’d put it there.
“Hey.” I sidled up next to her, not trusting myself not to touch her.
“Hey, yourself.” She set the bowl down on a table my dad had set up. “Hungry for some lunch?”
“More like hungry for you,” I mumbled close to her ear, low enough that only she could hear me.
“Looks like y’all made some good progress.” Mom finished setting out the lunch spread.
“We sure did.” Dad went to stand next to her. “I think we might finish up this week or next.”
While my family filled their plates and talked about all of the things still left to do, I grabbed Delilah’s hand. “Come with me?”
She nodded, taking my hand and letting me lead her down the path and closer to the creek. I needed to get her alone, away from the prying eyes of my brothers. I needed to get a taste of her, pull her against me, and let her kiss away the worries I couldn’t talk about yet.
Not even to her.
Delilah
“You’d better get back up thereand eat something if you want to keep your strength up for this afternoon.” I pressed another kiss against Jasper’s lips. We’d been making out down by the creek for the past twenty minutes. Surely his dad would send one of his brothers to look for us if we didn’t join the others soon.
“I don’t need food. All I need is fresh air, sunshine, and you.” He gave me another smile before capturing my mouth with his again.
I wasn’t ready to admit it, but I felt the exact same way. Last night had been amazing. Something in me had shifted,like he’d connected with a part of myself I hadn’t known about. With Jasper’s encouragement, I felt like I could do anything, be everything I dreamed about. He made me a better person. And we’d only spent one night together. The best was yet to come.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to survive on only air, sunshine, and me.” I smiled against his mouth.
It didn’t stop him from continuing to kiss me, his lips landing on my cheek, my nose, my forehead. “You’re such a downer.”
“Me? I’m the downer?” I laughed as I pushed to my feet. “Come on, you’ve got work to do and I’m supposed to tour the dog rescue.”
