Chapter 5

5

KACIE

T he stakes were high. I didn’t realize how high until my confession was met with complete silence. It was a silence that seemed to stretch for hours as I held my breath, awaiting his response.

What if I scared him off? Worse, what if he thought less of me? He wouldn’t be the first guy who’d written me off as some sort of uptight goody-two-shoes.

It was always the same. They’d say they respected me, but they’d never ask me out on a date—or call me back if we’d been out a time or two. Not that I was ever all that heartbroken over it. It just was frustrating.

But this time, I wasn’t sure what I’d do if the guy wrote me off as a bore. I couldn’t do anything about my past, but I was pretty sure I wanted this guy to be my future.

“Are you saving yourself for marriage or just for the right person?” he asked.

“For the right person,” I said without even thinking about it. “I never pictured myself as losing my virginity on my wedding night. My parents didn’t even demand that. They were just sure everyone in town was after their money, which made it impossible to date or make friends. When I went off to college, I felt free for the first time in my life.”

And that was the truth. In college, I no doubt could have found someone to take my virginity off my hands if I really wanted. But after a while, I decided I wasn’t going to let my peers pressure me into doing something I wasn’t ready to do. Taking the dare this morning had been all about proving to myself that I wasn’t afraid.

“It’s one of those things that becomes a bigger deal the more time passes.” I sighed. “Part of me wants to just get it over with, but I’m the type of person who can’t get naked with just anyone.”

Heat rushed to my face at the words. I was suddenly all too aware that I was naked with this guy. Not only that, but we’d both seen each other without clothes on.

“I feel that way too,” he said. “It’s been a while since I was a virgin, but that doesn’t mean sex isn’t a big deal to me. Some people can get naked with anyone. That’s not me.”

Our eyes held in a long stare that made my heart do flip-flops. So much was being said in the looks we were exchanging. It wasn’t just me. This was special to him too.

And suddenly, I knew what I wanted. I wanted him close to me. I wanted to feel his hands on me. I wanted to run my hands over his body. I wanted him .

“There’s plenty of room on this bench over here,” I said, suddenly not feeling a bit shy.

His eyebrows lifted. “Is that an invitation?”

“More of a request,” I said. “Feel free to say no.”

I hadn’t even gotten the last word out when he was on his feet, crossing the small space between us. There really wasn’t all that much room on the bench, but if he noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he settled in next to me, his thigh snuggled against mine.

My breath caught at the first contact with him. We hadn’t even touched hands, but our naked thighs were pressed together.

“Did you lure me here because you knew the door locked?” I asked, looking over at him.

Turning my head put our faces breathtakingly close. All I’d have to do was move forward a little, and if he met me halfway, we’d be kissing.

I wanted that more than I wanted anything.

He looked over at the door, and the moment was gone. “I didn’t even know it locked until Georgia told me.”

I frowned. “Georgia?”

“The woman at the front desk,” he said.

The gorgeous, curvy woman at the front desk with long, blonde hair and a perfect smile? That Georgia. Yeah, I might be more than a little jealous.

“I think she was playing matchmaker,” he said. “She asked about you, then told me the door locks from the inside, so be careful not to get locked out. It wasn’t just that she said it, it was the way she said it.”

“Oh.” Within seconds, I went from being jealous of Georgia to wanting to give her a big hug. When it came to romance, I could use all the help I could get. At the risk of sounding too self-involved, I had to know. “She asked about me?”

“Just where you were,” I said. “I guess she assumed you’d be with me. Watch out, people around here are already seeing us as a couple.”

I dared to look over at him again. “Is that a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “Not for me. I just didn’t know if you’d want to be linked to the former rival of the guy who owns the place.”

“I’ll be linked to you anytime.”

What did that even mean? It meant I was flirting. And flirting wasn’t like me at all. This guy just brought that side out of me.

But now we were staring at each other, and the air between us had gotten heavy. Charged. Like the outdoor sky just before a storm.

“So exactly how much experience have you had?” he asked.

Oh crap. I hadn’t expected that question.

“I’ve kissed guys, but it never felt right, you know?” I shrugged. “I’m sure they’re great for someone else. I guess I’m looking for…magic.”

“Magic,” he repeated.

I didn’t want him to think I’d set the bar ridiculously high or anything. All I knew was that I’d spent my whole life looking for what I’d shared with this guy in just the few hours I’d known him. Some sort of magic that I couldn’t define, but now I’d seen it firsthand, and nothing else would do.

“The guys were all juvenile and gropey,” I said. “Hands wandering, trying to cop a feel. I wanted my first time to be with someone who wasn’t so…”

I didn’t finish that sentence, mostly because I didn’t know exactly how to describe it. I’d never been able to tell anyone what was missing from the few kisses I’d shared with guys over the years, and I doubted I could start now.

“They weren’t like you,” I finally said, summing up exactly why I was having such a hard time explaining myself.

I held my breath as I waited for his response. I could have gone a step too far. What if he didn’t feel the same connection?

It was probably best to know before we went further. If I lost my virginity to this guy, I wanted it to be more than just a one-time thing. I didn’t just want him to be my first. I wanted him to be my last.

“I feel the same way,” he said. “I might not be a virgin, but I’ve spent my entire life looking for something more. I’ll try not to let my hands wander. But I want to kiss you.”

I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just the heat from the hot tub. It was the way he was looking at me. Plus the possibility that a kiss was in my very near future.