Chapter 24

Ispent the entire afternoon with Landon and it went by as fast as blinking. After lunch, we had taken a walk through town while the boys played volleyball. It turned out that Colten had enjoyed it and, with a little help from his new friends, had picked up the game pretty fast.

By the time Landon and I had gotten back to the beach, the boys had been big balls of sweat and had needed to cool off, so they’d all gone for a swim in the lake. Meanwhile, I’d found a spot for us to lounge in the shade while they swam and we’d talked for another hour before we’d gone our separate ways.

At the night market now, I waited for them to show up, feeling so much different than I had last Friday. Anticipation filled me, and my head was on a swivel as I searched all the entrances at once trying to find them.

Brittany sat next to me on a bench in the park, sipping a not-so-sweet lemonade and watching the people that passed by. “I’m glad Lacey’s mom stepped in with the recipe. This is actually pretty good.”

I took a small sip of my drink and nodded my agreement but with my eyes still peeled. “I didn’t mind it so much when it was sweeter, but I think she’s going to do better selling this batch than the previous one.”

A man with dark hair climbed out of a blue truck and I started smiling until I realized it wasn’t Landon. Disappointment shot through me and I slumped back again, my shoulders falling as I flicked my gaze to the other entrance.

“He’ll be here,” Brittany said confidently. “Before he arrives though, it’s time for you to admit it.”

“Admit what?” I asked, finally managing to yank my eyes away from the entrances for long enough to look at my friend.

Her light eyes were sparkling, a knowing gleam in them as she arched an eyebrow at me. “You have a crush on Mr. Big City. A big, fat crush.”

“I know,” I groaned, not even trying to deny it. “He leaves at the end of the summer. What am I supposed to do with that? Even if something does happen between us, it’s not like it can go anywhere, which means there’s no point in even trying.”

“That’s not true,” she said, her head shaking so emphatically that her curls bounced. “Not all crushes have to become relationships. What if you treat this as a summer fling? It could be fun while it lasts, and when it’s over, you get to move on with your life without any of the heartbreak or drama that comes with a breakup.”

I winced. “Flings aren’t really my thing.”

She winked at me. “I know, but some men are worth changing yourthing for, and Landon? He fits that bill.”

I fidgeted with my fingers as I thought it over. “What if I get attached?”

“Don’t,” she said like it was the simplest thing in the world. Shifting to face me fully, she put her hands on my shoulders and looked right into my eyes. “You deserve this, Jewel. You deserve to let go and open yourself up to someone for a change. Have a good time with a gorgeous man for a couple months. You don’t have to keep waiting for the man you’re going to marry to sweep you off your feet before you get involved with anyone at all.”

To me, it seemed like a recipe for disaster, but I nodded slowly as I looked back her. “All of that does sound really good. I just don’t want to get hurt, you know?”

“Of course, you don’t, but you’re going into this with your eyes open. You know exactly how long he’s going to be here and you know that when he leaves, it will be over. The key is to enjoy the time between then and now. Let your hair down for a little while, and once he’s gone, you can get on with your life.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. An awareness washed over me that made me turn to look at the entrance again.

Colten and Landon had finally arrived, and they were walking straight toward us. Landon had a sexy, easy grin on his face and his arm was around Colt’s shoulders. Colten was looking around wildly, his eyes wide with excitement as he searched for something.

Probably his new friends.

“Hey, Jewel,” he said when they reached us. “Have you seen Brody? He said they’d be waiting for me here.”

“They’re kicking a ball around behind the bandstand,” I said. “We ran into him earlier and he said to tell you they’d be there.”

“Thanks.” He grinned at me before turning to his dad. “Can I go?”

“Of course,” Landon replied, the words barely out of his mouth before Colten waved goodbye and bolted to go meet up with Brody and the others.

Pleased that the day had gone so well for them, I smiled as I watched him go, and Landon looked even happier about it than I was. Grinning from ear to ear, he took a seat beside me on the bench, spreading his long legs out ahead of him as he turned to us. “The whole drive over here, he couldn’t shut up about how excited he was for tonight. I’ve never heard him like that. It’s like he’s a whole new kid.”

“Oh, the power of friendship.” I giggled.

Brittany smiled and got up. “Unfortunately, the power of friendship doesn’t eradicate hunger. I’m going to grab something to eat. Do you guys want to come?”

“Yes,” I said immediately, afraid that my stomach was going to start rumbling if I didn’t get something into it soon.

Landon chuckled and strode to the food trucks with us. He grabbed a pulled pork sandwich with us and then glanced in the general direction of the bandstand. “I gave him some money. The kids will get something themselves when they’re hungry, right?”

“They should,” Brittany said easily. “Brody’s mom has a stall here, so she can’t be running after him with food.”

“Cole’s mom works here too,” I said. “Since they haven’t starved yet, I’m pretty sure they’ll help themselves when they’re ready, but if not, we’ll be around.”

Scott showed up and nodded hello to Landon before focusing on Brittany. “How do you feel about challenging them to a ring-toss contest? Brad just set it up near Gaston’s.”

She glanced at Landon and me. “What do you guys think? I’m game if you are.”

“I’m always up for some friendly competition,” I joked to Scott before I turned to Landon. “By that, I mean it won’t be a friendly competition. My brother can’t stand losing.”

“That must be why I never do it,” he boasted with a goofy smirk appearing on his lips. “Let’s go before it gets too busy.”

Landon glanced between the three of us before he shrugged. “Sure. That could be fun. I have to warn you, though. I haven’t tossed a ring in at least two decades.”

“That’s okay,” I said as Brittany and Scott took off and we fell into step behind them. “I can teach you how to do it. Brad sets up the ring toss almost every weekend, so I’ve had plenty of practice.”

Since we were walking behind Brittany and Scott, I couldn’t help but notice how close together they were, not quite touching but their hands brushed every so often. Landon must’ve noticed it too because he suddenly brought his mouth closer to my ear.

“What’s up with those two? They seem to be into each other, but I can’t quite figure out if they’ve done something about it yet.”

His lips moved my hair as he spoke. A pleasant shiver ran down my spine and I couldn’t resist leaning just a little bit closer to him when I responded. “They’re still in that will they, won’t they stage, but I think it’s going to happen soon.”

A sophisticated, masculine scent wafted from him, just faint enough that I could smell it but not nearly strong enough to be overwhelming. I couldn’t even tell if it was some kind of soap or if it was cologne, but whatever it was, it was enticing as hell. Fresh and clean but with hints of spice and something richer, like leather or maybe smoke from a fire. Either way, it was the kind of scent I could breathe in all day and not grow tired of, too intrigued by discovering the different undertones to get bored of it.

I glanced up at him, seeing mostly his profile from this angle and noticing again how strong it was. The slant of his jaw. The flat of his chin.

His facial hair was neatly trimmed and short enough that it didn’t obscure much of his features, and I liked being able to see what he looked like, even with the beard that made him a touch more rugged.

When we reached the ring toss, Scott and Brittany handed over our rings. Scott went first, performing dismally. Every last one of his rings missed and I did a little happy dance before I winked at Landon.

“We’ve got this in the bag.” I glanced at my brother as he smirked at Britt. “What are the stakes and why do you look so happy? You’re going to lose.”

“Nah. I just wanted to give you a false sense of security. It was part of my game plan.”

Brittany laughed. “Was telling her your strategy part of the game plan too?”

“Yep.” He cocked his head, his gaze drifting over to Gaston’s before he looked back at me. “The stakes are that the losing team has to buy the winning team a spiked lemonade.”

“Deal.” I stepped up to take my turn and tuned out the live music playing at the bandstand as I focused on impressing the man behind me.

I managed to score some points, throwing my arms up in the air and grinning as I spun back to him. “We’ve so got this.”

He returned my grin, but I also saw his gaze wandering, slowly meandering from my face down to my torso until I lowered my arms once more. My skin buzzed with electricity in the wake of his heated gaze and I blushed, quickly going to his side while Brittany took her turn.

As she did, I tried to distract myself from the lust coursing through me by dancing to the beat of the music, but I caught Landon watching me and my good intentions evaporated. Instead of dancing as a distraction, I was dancing for him now, loving the way his eyes seemed to be undressing me with every move of my hips.

Eventually, we won the match despite the lust flowing freely between us, and Scott groaned as he grabbed Brittany’s hand. “Let’s go get their lemonade so we don’t have to be here for the gloating.”

She laughed and let him drag her away. Alone and drunk on the good company of the day, I was feeling bold, so I offered him my hand once they were gone. “Dance with me?”

“Here?” He took a pointed look around at all the people waiting in line for the ring toss and I giggled as I shook my head.

“No. Over there.” I inclined my head at the tree line behind the game and slightly off to the left. We wouldn’t have complete privacy there, but it would be out of the fray.

To my surprise, he nodded, taking my hand and twirling me away before he brought me back in. With a firm grip on my hand, he slid an arm around my hips and drew me closer. His head bent so his eyes were on mine as we went to the trees.

He twirled me again, bringing me back again, but this time, pressing me right up against his chest.

“Smooth moves,” I murmured.

“Oh, this?” He exaggerated the sway of his hips against my own. “Thanks. I learned from the best back there.”

I threw my head back and laughed, inhaling the scent of his cologne as he held me close. Intoxicated by the twinkle lights above, the joy of the day we’d had together, and that incredible scent, I found myself leaning in, my head still tipped back.

Landon looked deep into my eyes before his gaze lowered to my lips. They parted and my tongue darted out to wet them without my brain having given it the command to do so. Sliding one of his hands up my back, he brushed my hair back and then his head slowly started descending.

Our lips met, tentatively at first, and he kissed me gently, like I was made of flower petals. The world around me faded away to a dull buzz. Light exploded behind my eyes as I pushed my fingers into his hair and kissed him back.

I still wasn’t sure I was going to be able to have a lighthearted fling without getting attached to him, but as his tongue pleaded for entry at my lips and the sensation of his strong body pressed to mine stole all sense of reason, I held him closer anyway. I would figure it out.

Just like Brittany had said, I was going into this with my eyes wide open. Landon wasn’t the love of my life or the man I would end up marrying, but he was fun to be around and a damn good kisser, and that was definitely good enough.

Surely I could keep my feelings out of it.