Page 43 of Barefoot Lake

Before I can give her anything, she’s gone. At some point, I must have closed my eyes because I have to open them to see the panic shining in Alice’s.

I barely hear her apology because I neither need nor want it. For that second, I had her, and I’m not ready to give her up yet.

I take one large step toward her, gently taking one of her wrists in each of my hands, pulling them away from her face, and lowering her arms. I release her so I can slide one hand into her hair and put the other on her lower back to haul her against me.

My kiss is not apologetic, and it is not hesitant. I pour every ounce of want I’ve had for her since I laid eyes on her into that kiss. My fingers tangle in her hair, and a part of my brain notes how soft the strands are before I squeeze my fingers and angle her head back for better access. Alice makes a soft, content sound low in her throat, and I know it’s mine. I press into her further, claiming, needing… more.

Alice’s fingers find my belt loops, and she pulls, hard. She shifts back, taking me with her until she bumps into the back of her couch. Thank God this woman is tall because all she has to do to sit is lift slightly on her toes. I wrap my arm further around her waist, tighten my grip, and lift until she’s more settled and I can stand between her parted thighs.

Alice yanks on my belt loops again, making sure there isn’t a breath of space between us, and my hand falls to her ass. I silently thank the universe for whoever invented elastic leggings when my fingers press into her soft skin, and the heat of her drives me insane. Her thighs tighten around my hips, and she hooks her ankles together behind me. The movement presses my hardening erection against her, and I have to swallow my groan. Her hands slide up my sides and under my shirt. She squeezes, dragging her nails against my back, right above the waistband of my pants.

I bite her bottom lip in response, and a breathy sound rushes out of her.

“Jake,” she breathes against my lips, a prayer, and I can’t stop the grin spreading across my face.

I lean my forehead against hers, both of us breathing heavily.

“Jake,” she repeats, still gasping for air.

Something in my brain tells me not to get carried away. Alice deserves more than a hormone-fueled fuck seconds after we admit there’s more between us than neighborly concern.

I lean back and look down at her, even as her hooked feet behind me keep me close to her. Her hands are still against my skin under my shirt, and she begins lazily sliding her fingers back and forth. I’m not sure she even notices she’s doing it, but goosebumps rise down my arms. I can’t help but shiver.

I untangle my fingers from her hair and reluctantly slide my hand from her ass and up her arm until I’m cupping her face in my hands with my thumbs along her jaw.

“I— I don’t—” she stumbles, trying to figure out what to say. Her eyes dart around my face. I’m not sure what she sees there or what she’s looking for, but she’s still smiling, so I’m not too concerned. It’s almost like she’s embarrassed about being so pleased.

“It’s ok, Ace,” I say, rescuing her. “It’s been a very long day, and I should go.”

Her face falls slightly, but I know it’s the right — the responsible — choice. I’d happily lose myself in this woman immediately, but I don’t want to fuck things up, and she’s had an emotional rollercoaster of a day. I should also probably sort out what’s happening in my head, too.

“But I’ll come back in the morning, and you can show me what you did with all those pumpkins, ok?”

I look around the room and for the first time, notice orange twinkle lights above the television, and almost an entire wall full of paper bats, even going so far as to spread across part of the ceiling. The more I look around, the more bits of Halloween and fall I see in the colors of the blankets, throw pillows shaped like ghosts and pumpkins, and the little fake autumn leaves scattered on every flat surface.

Her lips quirk again, and I hope she understands that this is not a rejection. I could just as easily see her decorations on my way home. But I don’t want to. I want to come back and see her again.

“Then I guess I’ll finish setting up outside, too.”

I kiss her lightly on her forehead before reaching behind me to unhook her ankles and forcing myself to take a step back. Her fingers slide against me as I separate from her, and it’s delicious torture.

She’s still smiling at me, a little dopey, matching how I feel. I try to discreetly adjust my sweats to hide the raging erection just having her mouth on mine caused, but she catches the movement easily. I see the pride on her face over how she affected me and shake my head.

“Good night, Ace.”

“Good night, Jake.”

The cool air outside is a slap on my skin. I feel like I’m on fire. Denial and distance clearly didn’t stack up against the want I have for Alice. The crisp air clears some of the fog from my head, and I briefly worry if I’ve made a huge mistake opening this door with Alice. Then, her smile flashes in my mind, and I shove those thoughts away. I’m on cloud nine, and nothing can bring me down.

As I step away, the glow of twinkle lights around her door flickers on. I look over my shoulder and see Alice coming down the front stairs, arms filled presumably with more decorations for her yard.

When I get back to my house, I call Mark’s Pizza in town and order two pies with everything on them, one for me and one to be delivered to Alice’s house. It seems like a melted cheese kind of night.

It takes me a while to fall asleep, but when I finally do, I dream of Alice and what could have happened on the back of that couch if I had stayed. My morning shower is ice cold.

I feel like an anxious teenager as I flit around my kitchen at the crack of dawn, full of nervous energy. I want to see Alice as soon as possible, but it’s still way too early, and I don’t want to disturb her or seem needy. I try to pass the time, but I’m too jittery to eat and there’s nothing to clean. Even the inside of my microwave is spotless.

I finally decide to take out some of my own Halloween decorations from the garage, remnants of mine and Scott’s childhoods. Alice had been so excited about decorating her place, and it got me kind of excited about decorating mine.