No Vacancy (The Aveline Series Book 2)

Chapter 51

DARCY

Penn’s mouthon mine made fireworks flow through my body. Every nerve peaked, and when his tongue met mine, I melted into him.

I hadn’t known. I couldn’t have known just how much I would like kissing him.

We moved in perfect harmony, as though we were made to do this. His lips were meant for mine. His hands found their way into my hair, and I moaned quietly as he gripped it. The butterflies in my stomach went both up and down, filling my body with a tingling sensation, and when we pulled apart—my eyes opening slowly—I knew the only thing I wanted to do was kiss him all over again.

Because that was a kiss.

When I was able to bring myself back into reality, I cleared my throat, remembering I was not here to fall in love with Penn Murphy. I was here to get him the hell away from us. And kissing was not the way to do it.

“What did you do that for?” I said, crossing my arms.

Penn stammered, fumbling over his words. “I, uh, I, honestly...”

“Spit it out! Why did you do that? Did you think you would be able to kiss me and that just because it was a really, really fucking good kiss, that I would just have my dad hand you over the store?”

He shook his head. “I, no. No. Not at all.”

“Then why did you do it?” I demanded.

I watched his throat bob, and I almost felt guilty for being so abrasive. For a moment, he looked like he might back down, a dog with his tail between his legs being reprimanded for peeing on the rug, but to my surprise, he straightened up. “I did it because I have watched you move that mouth of yours—full of insults, I might add—and I’ve been wondering what you taste like since the moment I met you.”

Gulp.

Penn ran his hands through his hair before dropping his arm to his side and moving forward toward me again, slowly. “And you know what? I think you’ve wondered the same thing about me. And I just put you out of your misery. You’re welcome.”

I was breathing heavily, trying not to succumb to him and his sexy words and remembering the way he slightly bit my bottom lip before pulling away and...

Damn it. No!

“Well...” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t do that again. Got it?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he replied.

I nodded once. “Okay. Good.”

Penn leaned over, his mouth next to my ear, so close I could feel the heat of his breath. “Because when we kiss again, it will be because you kiss me.” He winked and walked out the door and back down the stairs.

I followed behind him after my legs stopped shaking, and whisper-yelled, “That will never happen!”

After Penn had gone to the restroom, I’d asked my brother to help me refill the breadbasket in the kitchen, and I’d briefed him on the situation as quickly as possible. To my annoyance, he’d had no idea what movie I was referring to.

“I’m Andie Anderson-ing his ass,” I’d said, expecting Beau to understand.

He had looked at me blankly. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

I hadn’t had time to explain the reference, so I’d cut to the chase, and spoke as quickly as possible to bring him up to speed. Then I had gone to the restroom myself, caught Penn snooping in my childhood room, had the most epic kiss of my life, and got back to the dinner table as though nothing had happened. There was a lull in the conversation, the only noise was the clinking of forks and knives hitting the plates, and I couldn’t help but think they all knew what had just happened upstairs.

“I hope you saved room for dessert, Penn. I have a homemade cherry pie!” My mom took a sip of her water and wiped her mouth delicately with the napkin. “Come help me slice it up, Darcy. In the kitchen.”

I met her on the other side of the room, and we linked arms together. I lowered my voice. “You’ve never made a homemade pie in your life,” I said, calling her out quietly.

She snickered. “I didn’t say I made it. I just said it was homemade.” She smiled at me, and I chuckled.

“Tuck?”

“Of course, who else?”

The rest of the evening went well, except Penn didn’t seem even the slightest disturbed by my mom’s hints to a long-term relationship. He was eating it up. He was laughing at all her jokes and complimenting her pie—to which I told him I’d be sure to give the compliments to Tuck—and even my father had opened up and seemed to be enjoying himself.

It honestly went the opposite of how I had wanted it to go.

I had hoped for my mom to be terrifyingly clingy; I’d wanted my father to keep his quiet and intimidating nature, and I’d wanted my brother to do anything except find that he and Penn were both avid fans of the ocean and all things water sports.

Most of all, I had wanted them to make Penn feel like there was no way in hell he wanted to stay in Aveline.

At least, that’s what I had thought I wanted.

I had been one hundred percent sure of it until that kiss, and the way I could still feel the touch of his lips still lingering on mine.

Now, I wasn’t so sure what I wanted.