Chapter 25

Well, this is amazing.

I wanted this girl something fierce. Everything in me demanded that I push her up against the tree and make her mine, but since there were lots of people and kids around, I was going to have to settle for just a kiss.

It was quite possibly the best kiss of my life, though. My tongue parted her lips and she moaned into my mouth. I crushed it to hers, tightening my grip on her and feeding the addiction I’d just discovered. Jewel was soft in all the right places, her taste sweet and citrusy and her head at the perfect height for me to take her lips without having to break my neck to do it.

I knew we’d have to break apart soon and it killed me. Kissing her was the best fucking feeling I’d had in years. I didn’t want it to end, even if I was going to have blue balls forever for having to stop this at just a kiss.

As it was, my dick was straining against the fly of my shorts, my cheeks were hot, and my heart was hammering. I ran a hand down her side, cupping her ribs and dying to cop a feel, but again, kids around.

She wrapped her palm around the nape of my neck, the smooth heat of her sending a bolt of desire through me to feel it in other places. My hips rocked into hers just once, but as that first shiver of pleasure shot through me, I knew it was time.

Hating myself for doing it, I pulled away and reluctantly ended the kiss before I twirled her again. Jewel didn’t fight me on it, nor did she seem surprised. Her lips were slightly swollen, her eyes a little glazed over when they met mine again, but she was smiling, which was a good thing.

At least she wasn’t pissed at me for kissing her.

Just as I spun her back to me, Brittany and Scott found us. I doubted Scott would’ve wanted to see me laying one on his sister and especially not since it had gotten so close to getting out of control. Brittany glanced between us, a smug half-smile creeping onto her lips as she handed over Jewel’s lemonade.

“Having fun?” she asked lightly, her eyebrows sweeping up just a tiny bit as she looked at her friend.

It was one of those looks that told me they were communicating with a lot more than just words, and Jewel gave her a shy smile in return. I watched them closely until Scott handed over my lemonade.

“A toast to the winners,” he said as he raised his glass. “And to the rematch we’ll have next weekend.”

Jewel laughed and we all clinked our glasses against his. We sipped them as we ambled back to the market and drifted around for a while. Soon enough, Brittany and Scott meandered off on their own again and Jewel turned to face me.

“So, uh, what is this?”

I frowned, staring into those warm, honey eyes and wondering what on earth she was talking about. “Lemonade?”

Lifting her free hand, she pointed back and forth between us. “This.”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at and she sighed, a little bit exasperated but still smiling. “Was it just a kiss? You know, a fun, heat of the moment, doesn’t mean anything kiss or…” She trailed off, her eyes twinkling before she widened them at me. “Was it like, a kiss kiss?”

“A kiss kiss?” God, since when are there so many different kisses?Isn’t every kiss a kiss kiss?

She rolled her eyes as she bumped her hip into mine. “You know what I mean. Don’t play dumb.”

I chuckled. “It was a kiss, Jewel. A real kiss. That’s the only kind I’m familiar with and that was one I’ve been thinking about for days.”

“It was?” She stopped walking and came to stand in front of me, staring up into my eyes and appearing to be debating something in her head before she came out and just asked me. “What does it mean, then? Do you just go around kissing people like that all the time, or does it mean there’s something here?”

“There’s something here,” I replied without hesitation, my gaze unwavering on hers. “Look, I’ll level with you, Jewel. I’ve never been a big fan of labels. I don’t think everything needs to fit into some tidy little box for it to make sense.”

“What are you a fan of?” she asked cautiously. “I get not wanting to label everything. I’m totally onboard with that, but I just need to know where we stand right now.”

“I’m a fan of chasing good feelings, and of you. I know I want to kiss you again, but that’s about as clear as I can be right now.”

“That’s fine. It’s a satisfying enough answer for now, but I need to warn you that I don’t play games. I’m a woman, not a girl, and I don’t do drama.”

“Well, that makes me like you even more,” I admitted honestly, reaching up to wind a lock of her soft hair around my index finger. “Other than ring toss, I don’t play games either, Jewel. I’m too old and I’ve got a kid to think about. I’ve also had enough drama in my past relationships to cover my bases for a lifetime, so you don’t have to worry about that with me.”

As far as I was concerned, this was shaping up to be a pretty amazing summer. Thank you, Walt. You wise old man.

Jewel leaned into my touch for a moment, then nodded and stepped away, inclining her head toward the bandstand. “Good. I’m glad we had that talk. Do you want to go check on Colten?”

“Please,” I said, falling into step beside her as we tracked down the boys.

Colt was surrounded by a gaggle of kids, all wearing glowsticks around their wrists, ankles, and necks. When he saw us approaching, he ran up to me with the widest, easiest smile I’d seen on his face since kindergarten.

“Can I go play down at the lake shore with the other kids?” he asked excitedly. “I was just going to come find you to ask.”

I eyed the group behind him, all of them laughing as they waited for something. Probably for those who needed to get permission to get it.

I glanced at Jewel and she gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s safe down there. There are lights on the main stretch of beach at night and there are always families who choose to take their food from here and go have a picnic on the sand.”

Exhaling softly, I nodded at Colten. “Sure. Go. Just make sure you stay on the main stretch of the beach then, okay? I want to be able to keep an eye on you the whole time. Have you had something to eat?”

“You got it, and yes, I have. I had a burger with Brody earlier. Did you eat?”

I nodded. “I did, bud. Go have fun with your friends.”

Colten dashed back to his friends, handing out high-fives when he told them he could go. They waited a few more minutes for one other boy to join them before they all took off.

At a run.

God knew where they got all that energy from. I, for one, would not have had it in me after the day we’d had to run right then, but I also wasn’t ten. Jewel smiled as if she’d had the same thought as we watched them disappear.

“You’ve got to wonder how their batteries are always fully charged,” she said, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around herself. “I wish I could always run-run-run like that, but I don’t think I ever could. Not even at their age.”

I chuckled. “I don’t remember being quite as bad as they are either, but I guess we had to have been, right? Are you cold? I’ve got a jacket in the truck.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine once we get back to the market. Have you tried the salted caramel doughnuts? I love them. They’re my favorite dessert here.”

I would have preferred to have her for dessert, but I also wasn’t about to proposition her for a quickie in the woods or in my truck, so doughnuts would have to do. “I love caramel, so we have that in common. You’re sure Colten and the boys are safe down there?”

“They should be,” she said before she flashed a sneaky smile. “As it happens though, I know about a bench that overlooks the main beach. It’s usually empty at night and they won’t be able to see us there unless they know to look.”

“You’re a genius.” I grinned. “Doughnuts are on me. Do you want to get another lemonade as well?”

She nodded. “I like the way you think as well.”

We got back to the market and I noticed that the mood had shifted. The music was still playing, but it was like there was a sudden tension in the air. Stall owners weren’t grinning and chatting to people, mostly because people didn’t seem to be lingering at any of the stalls. Eyes were downturned and everyone seemed subdued. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it at first, but soon enough, I located the black cloud casting its shadow over the festivities.

Dallas Styles had arrived, looking smug as ever as he strode through the market like he owned the place. His attention almost immediately landed on Jewel. She groaned and glanced up at me. “Well, this was fun while it lasted. Cut straight through from here to the beach and you’ll see the bench on your right. I’ll see you at the lake tomorrow.”

Before I’d even begun to figure out what was going on, she slipped away through the crowd, vanishing.

Dallas came up to me. “Where did Jewel go?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. She said something about grabbing some food.”

Which was in the opposite direction that she’d gone. Dallas took the bait, spinning around and taking off to look for her in the wrong part of the market. I didn’t know why she had literally run from him, but it was obvious she hadn’t wanted to speak to the man. I didn’t blame her.

Disappointed that we hadn’t gotten to eat doughnuts together in a place no one would’ve seen us if they hadn’t known to look, I sighed and strolled through the market, apparently destined to eat my dessert alone.