Chapter 30
DELANEY
I purse my lips for what feels like the ten millionth time today and press them to another scratchy cheek. The musky, wood-scented cologne belonging to the owner of said cheek sneaks a feel of my bicep and up to my shoulder before Darren clears his throat. The hand drops immediately.
“Groping isn’t included in your fee,” Darren barks, clapping his hands loudly. “Fuck, my sister vetted you?”
I hide how much I like him stepping in behind a roll of my eyes.
Backing away from the man in front of me, I quickly reach beneath the booth for his movie ticket and hand it over.
The stack is down by at least half now, meaning there should be way more money in the tip jar than I expected there to be at all, let alone in only half a day.
That’s all because of Darren.
“Thank you for participating today and helping rebuild the drive-in. It means a lot to me and the town.”
“Anytime, Delaney. Anytime,” the guy drawls, a look in his eye that makes my skin ripple and my smile transform into a wince.
Darren walks directly in front of him, blocking off his view of me before using a heavy arm to gesture him away from the line. “Alright, you can leave the line now.”
The exasperation in his voice is satisfying as hell. With every man who’s come up to buy a kiss and a ticket, it’s gotten more obvious. I can’t decide if I want to see just how much longer he’ll stand by and watch this go on or what he’ll do to get it to stop. Both sounds more like it.
“Got it. I didn’t know she was taken,” the man mutters before following Darren’s arm and exiting the line.
I do a double take before shouting out a frantic and pointless “I’m not taken!”
Immediately, I wish I hadn’t done that. Darren drops his arm and spins to face me, his stare narrowed.
I can’t see past him, yet I know there’s still a line of guys waiting and watching for their turn at the booth.
He doesn’t seem to give a flying fuck about them, though.
Their presence doesn’t stop him from towering over the booth and using the intensity in his eyes to pin me in place, unable to break free.
The muscles in his arms tense beneath the sleeves of his long-sleeve as he grips the booth and uses it to support his weight.
Strength and dominance pour from him, and I’m powerless to the desire that begins to swirl in my belly and loosen my muscles because of it.
I let my head fall back, and my eyes grow focused on the sheer possessiveness that glows in his.
It’s so damn hot.
“Why did you do that?” he asks lowly, almost growly.
I coyly arch a brow, chest starting to rise quicker. “Do what? I was only clarifying.”
“He didn’t need to know your relationship status. None of these guys do.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
His tongue slides along his bottom lip as he crooks a dirty grin and drops his chin in an arrogant nod. “Fine. Go ahead, Elle. I’ve got my entire day open just for being a cockblock.”
“It’s Delaney, and I’m so happy for you. That’s great news. ”
He takes his hands off the booth and turns away, creating an opening for the line behind him to continue. I shake myself off and refocus, refusing to let him get to me any more than he already has.
The next guy comes, and then another, all without Darren butting in.
He stays off to the side, watching with his hands either on his hips or arms folded across his chest. I catch every shift he makes in the corner of my eye despite every effort to pretend he isn’t there at all.
It’s impossible not to notice him, and the cocky asshole knows it.
There’s a thread connecting us that I’ve never been able to make myself cut. We’re connected so deeply that there was never a chance of me ignoring him forever. I should have known better.
Nothing good is going to come out of this today.
It’s only a matter of time before he declares it his turn again and puts on a show that’s going to send me into a tailspin.
I don’t know if I should be ashamed of the fact that I’m still desperately jealous over him or if it’s smarter to just accept it.
There’s no point in denying it now. I’ve exposed myself already, and there’s no taking it back without looking like I’m in denial.
He’s won this battle, and I don’t know what to do with that yet.
“Hey, Delaney. Fancy seeing you here.”
I jerk my head up from the booth to look at Sam. The RCMP officer with the freckles and dimples in both cheeks smiles gently as I correct my slouched posture and return the gesture.
“What a coincidence! Are you by chance here to purchase a movie ticket?”
“Well, that and a kiss from you,” he corrects with a wink.
My chest pangs with discomfort. The kind that I feel when a man—a nice one at that—shows genuine interest in me.
It sours my mood, sending it dipping further into a sea of frustration and annoyance.
I do work through it eventually, and even grow comfortable enough to spend weeks if not months getting to know someone.
Yet over and over again, I suffer with this inability to date for the long haul.
Instead, I’m left wishing that I could pretend just once that it’s easy to find a partner to spend my life with.
The whole meet them, date them for a while, then cut things off after a few sleepovers hasn’t been working all that well.
Cherry Peak’s dating pool isn’t exactly overflowing with choices, either.
“Luckily, I can help you with both of those things,” I say.
Sam chuckles while dropping a five-dollar bill into the tip jar. His palm runs down the length of his chest before slipping into the front pocket of his jeans.
“In all honestly, this wasn’t how I was planning on getting my first kiss from you,” he murmurs, his voice low in an attempt to keep his statement between us.
I know immediately that he didn’t manage to pull it off. Looking at Darren to check would be a waste of time.
“That’s okay. This is for a good cause,” I reply, refusing to take my eyes off him despite my uneasiness.
Sam moves closer to the front of the booth. “You make very good points.”
“Which cheek would you prefer?”
“Cheek?”
My laugh sounds ridiculously painful. “Yes. Only cheek kisses from me at this booth.”
“Oh! Oh, I thought—I’m sorry. Ignore me, I haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet today,” he splutters, face turning sunburnt red.
“Oh, it’s okay! It’s a common mistake. The whole kissing booth thing is a bit deceiving.”
He rubs at the back of his neck. “Right. I don’t suppose the rules have any bend to them?”
“Hey. Sam, right? Remember me? I was at the drive-in fire,” Darren interrupts, joining Sam on the opposite side of the booth.
Sam blinks rapidly when Darren slaps him on the back and steals his hand to shake it. “Uh, no, I don’t think so. You were at the fire . . .?”
“I was working to put out the fire while you were, you know, out on the highway helping with traffic. Those U-turns don’t always make themselves, right?”
I bite on my tongue and keep my expression flat while staring up at Darren, silently urging him not to be a jackass.
“Oh, maybe I did see you. That was a crazy night,” Sam says.
“You’re telling me. But anyway. About today, yeah, we aren’t doing kisses anywhere but the cheek.”
Sam steals my gaze. “There aren’t any exceptions?”
“If we give an exception to one person, we’ll have to give them to everyone. I’m sure you know how that goes. But by all means, if a cheek doesn’t suffice, I’ll fish your money out myself,” Darren answers, his friendliness leaving a lot to be desired.
“Delaney’s cheek will more than suffice. I’m being greedy,” Sam relents.
I jump in before Darren can. “You’re not being greedy. I’ll do both cheeks to help make up for your disappointment.”
“That’ll be extra,” my apparent bodyguard announces.
“No, it won’t. I’ll throw in an extra cheek for free.”
“That’s against the rules,” Darren states.
“Against what rules? This is our booth.”
Darren pushes on as if we don’t have watching eyes all around us. “The rules I just made, Elle. We have fifty-fifty ownership of this business, and I’m saying we aren’t doing buy-one-get-one-free kisses.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” I snap, my temperature soaring. “And it’s Delaney.”
He huffs. “I’m just trying to avoid being taken advantage of.”
“You’re not the one doing the kissing!”
“Not yet. If you want to change the rules, then they count for me too. ”
I curl my fingers beneath the booth and flick my attention back to Sam. “Come here, Sam.”
He jerks forward, and I quickly kiss both of his cheeks. They’re warm from the blush that’s still tinting them, and for some reason, that makes me pull away from him as if the heat burnt my lips.
“There. Just please don’t tell anyone about the discount,” I plead.
His throat bulges as he swallows and then nods in agreement. “I’ll see you later.”
“Take your movie ticket first. You can’t use it yet, but once the drive-in is open, you can redeem it.”
I fumble with the stack beneath the booth and shove it out in front of me. He takes it in a smooth, pristine hand.
“Bye, Sam,” Darren grits out.
I tap my nails against the booth and offer Sam a weak smile. “Bye.”
He’s quick to leave, and I don’t blame him. Not one bit.
“On that note, you can go take a break,” Darren declares.
I almost laugh. “Excuse me?”
“It’s my turn.”
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
“If you mean because I’m done with watching you do all the kissing, then yes.”
I lift my hands in front of me, surrendering. “You know what? Fine. Go for it. I’m sure you’ll have one hell of a time.”
“Now that you mention it, I’m sure I will.”
“I’m going to find the girls, then.”
He joins me behind the booth and asks, “What, you’re not going to stay?”
“No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I lie.
He doesn’t believe me. Of course he doesn’t. And apparently, he’s done with pandering me as well .
“I’m sure.”
I grit my teeth and spin on my heel, prepared to leave.
“Would you mind stopping by the lemonade stand and grabbing me one on your way back? I’m sure I’ll feel a little parched after all the kissing I’m about to do.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I make sure to smile as sweetly as humanly possible.
“Of course. Would you prefer raspberry syrup or manure from Steele Ranch as your mixer? I’m sure Eliza has both with her.”
Darren laughs, deep and raspy, before adjusting the brim of his hat. “How about you surprise me, Elle.”
“Manure it is.”