Chapter 29
DARREN
There have been several times in my life where Delaney’s possessiveness had me shifting uncomfortably to relieve the tightness of my pants, but right now trumps all of those.
I’ve been hard up since she spotted me. I was watching her from the moment she appeared behind the fire truck in those oversized overalls, welcoming the chance to watch her without her knowing.
The only reason I haven’t sped my way through the line in front of me yet is exactly because of this.
Just so I could see this reaction right now and feel the fire in her eyes as she exposed her jealous side to me for the first time in a near decade.
I worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it out of her after this long or that maybe she didn’t have it in her at all anymore.
It’s been a long fucking eight years of being apart, but here she is, damn near vibrating with that same savage glow that she used to have when I’d get stuck in the middle of a conversation with a girl on the sidelines after a football game.
Her perfume is dull, the lily-and-raspberry scent impossible to pick up unless you’ve become so accustomed to it that you could point it out in a crowd of a thousand people. I take a greedy inhale of it and keep my shoulders down, relaxed even as she tilts into me, ignoring looking up at me.
“Hi, Sarah! It’s so great to see you again. Is your daughter here too?” she asks while butting in front of me and discreetly using her elbow to shove me out of the way.
The woman in front of the booth blanches for a moment before straightening and flashing a smile. “Good to see you too, Delaney. Yes, Sadie’s off getting a lemonade.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’ve heard the lemonade is great. It’s Eliza’s secret recipe, isn’t it?”
“Maybe! That does sound like her,” Sarah agrees tensely. “I’ll go check on her now, actually.”
Delaney doesn’t skip a beat in sending her off. “Okay, well, it was great to catch up. Give my best to Sadie.”
“Will do. Bye, Darren. If you need my number, I can write it down before I go.”
“No need. I’ve got it in my books from when Sadie was in my class last year. I’ll pass it along if he’s interested. Enjoy the rest of the day,” Delaney sings, waving despite their close proximity.
I clear my throat. “Tell Eliza I say hi, Sarah.”
Hiding a very obvious frown, the woman stamps her lips together and knocks her knuckles to the booth before leaving.
The awkward atmosphere that follows doesn’t seem to bother Delaney in the slightest. Actually, I think she’s thriving in it.
I’m left staring in silent awe as she confidently bends over the booth and reaches up to tap the Open sign that’s hanging by a single nail.
“Hi, everyone! I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Darren’s actually done for now. I’ll be taking over for a while now, so if you want to stay, please do, but if you’re only here for a mouthful of mustache, then I recommend coming back in about an hour,” she announces.
There’s an audible sigh that breaks through the field as the line immediately disperses.
It’s impossible not to feel the least bit arrogant to have so many single women want to stand in a line for the chance to get a kiss on the cheek, but at the same time, the only one I want in my line is perched in front of me, pissed the hell off.
“Well, I can’t say I’m surprised,” she mutters under her breath.
My throat pinches, choking off my air supply when she pushes away from the booth and drags the curve of her ass across my groin.
Pinpricks of pleasure expand through my muscles as I reach for the edge of the booth and grip it hard enough I half expect it to crack.
The sway of her hair across my chest isn’t any better, nor is the soft breath she expels before slipping out from in front of me.
“If I’d known you were going to open this thing early, I’d have been here on time,” she states, sounding completely unbothered by what just happened.
I don’t like that. She should be as untethered as I am right now. How is it so easy for her to pretend that didn’t just happen?
“It wasn’t the plan. I’d have told you.”
“Right. Well, I’m not a fan of surprises like this.”
“I know. It just happened.”
“Is that your catchphrase or something?” she asks sharply.
“I can’t say it is. I’d prefer something a bit less . . . childish for my catchphrase.”
She moves around some more, fussing over the lip-shaped money jar and the bag of gum and breath mints Poppy dropped off. When she fishes out the thick stack of movie admission tickets we’re really here to hand out with our kisses today, I put an end to the silence.
“Where’d my sister run off to?” I ask.
“Why do you assume I know?”
“You two are never far apart anymore.”
Delaney huffs, keeping her body turned away from me as she stares into the field. “She was with Bryce before I came over here. I’m sure that’s where she is now.”
Frustration licks up my spine the longer she freezes me out.
I’m a patient guy, but there’s something about Delaney that makes it damn near impossible to keep my pace slow.
Especially after her attitude just five minutes ago.
I’m desperate enough for her attention that receiving it has got my pulse tripping over itself and a desperate ache low in my stomach that refuses to settle.
With my hand still gripping the booth, I lean forward and drag the heel of my boot through the grass to settle between her legs. She doesn’t react outright. It’s subtle. A breath caught between her teeth and a slight shudder that forces her to lean back against my chest.
I give her a moment to slip herself free of my slack hold before dropping my other hand to the booth, trapping her with my body. Her jaw tightens and strains as she keeps staring in front of us, fighting what she couldn’t before.
“Are you mad at me, Elle?” I murmur, my chin dropped so the question hits the tip of her ear.
Our height difference is just as staggering as it was back then. If she leaned back completely, she’d feel the bite of what I’ve kept hidden beneath my shirt since the day I lost her.
“It’s Delaney.”
“For how much longer?”
Her arm shifts, and then she’s gripping my hand.
If she meant to push it away from the booth, she’s changed her mind.
Instead of shoving me, she grips me tighter, her nails pricking into my skin.
Head tipping down, she swallows loudly. There’s a ghost of a touch over my fourth finger, where my wedding ring once sat.
“Forever,” she whispers.
“I’ll wait double that.”
I hold perfectly still when she starts twisting in my arms. Her lips are parted and the softest shade of pink when her head falls back and those green eyes flick upward. I lean into my grip on the booth to steady myself.
“Nobody would wait that long. ”
“You underestimate me. There’s nothing I want more than you. Not a fucking thing.”
It’s out before I can chomp down on my tongue hard enough. It’s out and there for her to do as she wishes. There’s something suddenly fucking terrifying about that, given how my last loose-tongue confession went.
“Hey. Is the booth open?”
I grit my teeth at the sound of the very male voice. Slowly, I peel my gaze from Delaney long enough to glare at the guy standing in front of us. I half expect him to burst into flames when she ducks beneath my arm and into the empty space beside me.
“Yes! Yes, it’s open,” she rushes out.
The guy, who I can now pinpoint as the one who owns the gas station at the entrance to town, gives her an easy smile and pulls his wallet out of his back pocket— a stupid spot to keep it.
“I’m glad to hear that. How much is admission?” he asks, apparently too busy staring at Delaney to read.
I snort. “It’s on the sign above my head.”
“Right. My bad.”
Delaney shoots me a sharp look before nudging me out of the way for the second time today and taking her place in the centre of the booth. I cross my arms and keep the guy pinned beneath my steady glare.
“You can just drop the money into the jar, and then we’re good to go. We don’t have change. I promise it’s awkward for everyone,” she says, consoling him as if this isn’t her first time either.
He laughs and nods before following her instructions. Once the money falls into the jar, he focuses on her and waits silently.
Delaney instructs him to lean a bit closer before smoothly sweeping in toward him and pressing her lips to his cheek. Before they have a chance to break apart, I’m crouching to fish out a ticket for him and slapping it onto the booth .
“Here you go. Make sure you keep an eye out for opening night at the new drive-in to use your ticket. Thanks.”
The guy sends me a confused look while stepping away and taking the ticket. He darts his eyes to Delaney before saying, “Thanks, I guess.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you! The drive-in appreciates you lending me your cheek,” she calls as he’s leaving.
I watch him until he’s far enough away that I know he won’t come rushing back. The lack of a line after him is relieving, but it also means that there’s nobody here to witness her scolding my ass any moment now.
“Are you being serious right now, Darren? This kissing booth was your idea. You don’t get to be an asshole to the people who actually come and take part in it.”
Cocking my head, I reply, “And I suppose you were being a darling with dear Sarah?”
“I was being helpful. You can have her number if you want it that badly.”
“Helpful? If that was you being helpful, then I may as well have offered to be giving that guy a step by step on how to receive a kiss on the cheek.”
She palms her hips, her eyebrows nearly fastening together. “You don’t get to flirt with a line full of single women but be like this when it’s my turn.”
“Oh, you’re planning on flirting with a line of single women?”
There may as well be steam flowing out of her ears by now, while I’m enjoying this all a bit too much.
“Oh, hey, guys! Darren, it’s funny seeing you here. I thought this was Delaney’s shift.”
My sister pops up in front of the booth, all grins and excited eyes. Bryce follows her, an arm slung over Daisy’s shoulders and fingers playing loop-de-loop in her hair.
“There aren’t shifts,” I grunt.
“Oh . . . oops. I thought it was Delaney’s turn, and, well, we’ve wrangled quite a line for her to get through,” Poppy explains pointedly.
I tense up and follow her line of sight to the men slowly moving into a single file line leading right to where Delaney’s standing.
“Poppy, you didn’t have to do this,” Delaney starts.
My sister places a hand to her heart. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve vetted them all myself and have already turned away the real weird ones.”
“Well, you haven’t done a great job of that,” I mutter, flicking a look at the guy walking away.
“Good luck, Della. You’ll need it,” Daisy says.
I clear my throat, drawing my sister’s attention. “Is there no limit?”
“A limit on what? Money you should be raising? Come on, Darren. Don’t be a buzzkill.”
The noise around us grows in a few short seconds. It’s the swarm of men surrounding the booth. I scour the line, memorizing the names and faces that I recognize, storing the information for later.
“Come on, D. It’s only fair to share the responsibility,” Bryce placates me.
I ignore her and reluctantly remove myself from behind the booth. The tether between us pulls in rejection of this idea, but I let it go. I knew what I was doing when I made her jealous earlier, and if she wants to get even, I won’t stand in her way.
My chance will come again sooner than she’d like, and this time, I won’t give up so easily.