Chapter 23
It’s called lumberjill
“I can’t believe you finished second in ax throwing,” Paige said, jumping into Melinda’s arms. “I had no idea you could swing an ax and hit a target like you’ve been training for it all your life.”
“Me neither,” she said, laughing when they stepped apart and she took her jacket from my hands. Melinda had won a teddy bear wearing a tiny plaid shirt as a prize for winning the last ax-throwing round and received an offer to join the local women’s team.
“Who knew? Perhaps you should join the circuit and become a lumber…lady,” Craig said, high-fiving her.
“I think it’s called lumberjill,” Paige argued. “Not sure, though. Sounds weird. Who cares?”
I draped an arm over Melinda’s shoulders, pulling her against me. “You’re a rock star, Shepard. That was pretty impressive.”
“Think you can do better?” She watched me with expectant eyes.
I raked my fingers through my hair. “I’m not sure I wanna try. You kinda upped the stakes.”
She smiled as I sang her praises.
“All the pressure is on me now.”
Craig chuckled. “Stop being a chickenshit, Mase, and prove to us you can do it too.” He turned to Melinda. “I’m so thankful you’re putting a dent in his ego. Good riddance.”
I elbowed my brother’s side. “Shut up.”
Craig grinned bigger. “You wish. Come on, superstar, show us what you’ve got.”
I entered the competition and listened to the instructions and safety guidelines before taking a stance in front of a wooden target.
“You have ten takes,” the man in charge of the stand told me. “The first five are practice runs and don’t count. There are six people competing against one another. The person with the best overall score wins a prize. Are you ready?”
I rolled my shoulders back and nodded, blocking all sounds around me and putting my game face on. My competitive side had taken over, and I was about to make the other contestants look like kids.
My first take was a miss. The ax struck the target but didn’t stick. I adjusted my stance, played around with the tool in my hands, modified my grip, and threw it as if I’d done it multiple times in the past. It hit the highest-value mark. A slow smile spread across my lips. Yes, I could win this.
I risked a look at my supporters. Melinda stood still, her hands clamped together, as she watched me. Craig had his arms around his girlfriend, their eyes locked on me.
The man in charge neared me once I was done. “Okay, wow. I must admit this is the best score I’ve seen in all the years I’ve done this.”
My name went at the top of the best-score board, and I returned to my friends with a stuffed beaver, a plaid shirt, and a miniature golden plastic ax.
“You guys are so cute,” Paige said, her gaze traveling between Melinda and me.
“Ax-throwing champs. You two should start a team and compete. Screw football and swimming, you’ll be the perfect little lumberjack duo.
You could live in the woods and perfect your skills every day.
Why go to college when you can enter the ax-throwing circuit and have ax-throwing babies dressed in plaid shirts one day, right? ”
“Beginner’s luck. On my part. Not sure plaid shirts match my complexion.” I turned to face my brother. “Are you giving it a try?”
“Nope. Wouldn’t wanna beat your ass and make you feel like second best. See? I’m doing it to preserve the peace between us. And that giant ego of yours.”
I hit my chest with the side of my fist. “So generous of you, man.”
We reached the corn maze.
“First one to reach the center wins,” Paige called out.
“If you’re lost, call for me, I’ll come find you,” Craig told her.
“It’s cheating,” I said while Paige cooed, “Oh, you’re so sweet. I love you.”
They kissed like they were alone in this world for a long minute.
Melinda and I exchanged an amused gaze.
You’ll be okay, I mouthed.
Watch me win, she mouthed back.
I loved it when she was confident about her own skills and didn’t shy away from it.
I clapped my hands. “Stop the PDA, guys. We’ve seen enough of your tonsils for the rest of our lives. Let’s go. I’m ready to wait for you at the center.”
Craig and Paige broke apart, and we all rushed toward the maze through different entry points.
The blazing autumn sun shone high in the sky, and little beads of sweat pearled on my forehead under its warmth. From my hiding spot, I watched Melinda take the same route for the third time.
“This maze is a joke,” she complained with a huff. The skinny jeans she was wearing made her legs appear mile-long, showcasing her lean thigh muscles. Combined with her snug cream knitted sweater and matching hat, she was a sight for sore eyes. And one my body had a hard time resisting.
Giggles and whispers resonated from somewhere on her right, and she moved forward, distancing herself from the noise—probably not wanting to risk seeing something her eyes could never unsee—and tearing my eyes away from her.
In a few strides, I stepped behind her and covered her eyes with my hands. “Shepard, are you lost?”
A shiver traversed her body when I spoke close to her ear.
My front pressed against her back, the firmness of my muscles molding to hers and the fabric of our jeans not thick enough to conceal how my dick reacted to her proximity.
She relaxed against me, like she was expecting me to stand there.
“No. I’m just killing time so you can finish first in case you throw a second-place tantrum when you lose. ”
“Liar. You’re almost there. I’ve been waiting for you to join me in the center for almost ten minutes. And I don’t do second place. Never.”
She turned in my arms, her soft breasts pressing against my hard chest. Our gazes collided. “Ten minutes?” Her soft voice sent a zing through me. Like supercharged tiny particles of electricity moving throughout my body and lodging in my crotch.
“Ten minutes,” I repeated. “Paige and Craig are on the south side, doing who knows what.”
“Ugh.”
“Don’t remind me. I ran the other way when I bumped into them. Now, I’ve been waiting for you to join me because I’m all alone over there. Winning isn’t as much fun when you’re not competing against me.”
“First, don’t put images in my head about your brother and my best friend. It’s a load of information I don’t need. And second, it’s not that I’m losing on purpose. This maze leads nowhere. And by the way, what are you doing here if you’ve already found the center?”
“Cheering you on.”
“Why?”
“Because, like I said, it’s lonely in the middle without you. And life is much more enjoyable when you’re around.”
She pushed my chest in a teasing manner, her hand lingering on my hoodie-covered torso for a few seconds. “Drama queen.”
I shrugged. “Please deliver me from my loneliness, Mel.” She melted a little more against me. My hands found her waist, and I contoured the length of her jaw with my lips. She shuddered but didn’t push me away.
Her voice sounded rougher when she spoke again. “Yeah, I’ll meet you there.”
“What are you waiting for then?”
Her breath caught in her lungs. I loved that she reacted to my presence as much as I reacted to hers.
She closed her eyes, and I fought with myself not to kiss her. Recalling her words from the other night, I disappeared before she opened them back, hiding in the same spot as before.
When she did, she blinked, her gaze roaming around, but not spotting me. “Mase? Where are you?”
My heart thundered in my chest, and I cupped it with a hand to calm its storm. I was so screwed. I had been seconds away from sweeping her off her feet and kissing her senseless.
Before I retreated to the middle of the maze again, I heard her low whisper. “Get a grip on yourself, Mel. It’s just a corn maze. You can beat it.”
Standing on a big rock, I spied on my girl as she turned left and right instead of left again. “I’m right here, waiting for you.”
She glanced around, but I squatted so she wouldn’t notice me. “Gosh, you’re impossible, cocky man. Where are you?” Her soft laughter dissolved as a group of teenagers walked past her.
“Focus, Mel. You can do this. Listen to my voice. Feel my energy.”
Shutting her eyes, she relaxed her shoulders and inhaled deeply, all gracious, just like she did on meet days when she stepped on the block.
I closed my eyes too, listening to the same things she did. Birds chirping. The breeze rustling the corn crops. Giggling. A man speaking in a loud voice. A baby crying.
Melinda stepped forward, and minutes later came face to face with me, sitting on a hay bale, smirking with a I’m proud of you, but I still finished first expression. “You made it, Shepard.”
“I made it,” she echoed. “Seriously, how long have you been here?”
I shrugged. “Fifteen minutes, give or take.”
“Are Paige and Craig still somewhere doing who knows what?”
“I guess. I went to look for them again but couldn’t find them this time around.”
She moved between my open legs, her hands resting on the top of my thighs. “Huh. What should we do? Wait for them?”
I cradled her cheek with a hand and smoothed her bottom lip with my thumb. The world fell away, and we lost ourselves in each other for an endless minute. “Nah. I’ll text them. Hungry?”
Her attention drifted to my mouth. My breath stuck in my lungs, and my cells vibrated in anticipation of what she might or might not do when we were standing this close to each other. For the umpteenth time today, I wondered if she was thinking about kissing me too.
I grabbed her hand and drew the lines of her palm with a finger.
Melinda said nothing, erasing the gap between us and pressing her forehead to the crook of my neck.
She exhaled loudly, and I curled a hand around the back of her head, brushing her hair.
I could tell she was scared of something, but unless she opened up to me, we were stuck in this push-and-pull relationship endlessly.
“When you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be here, okay? No matter what it is. I won’t go away. I’m not scared that easily.”
She planted a kiss on my cheek, and I pretty much dissolved inside. Melinda Shepard held so much power over me, and I didn’t think she knew just how much. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go and eat something. I’m starving.”
As if I’d shocked her, she jumped back and grinned. “Geez, Mase, you’re always hungry.”
I winked. “Only for mouth-watering stuff, though.” I licked my lips, and she backhanded my chest. I grinned bigger. “Don’t make me wait. Come, feed me.”
Her face turned a deep shade of red at my words.
My one-track mind formed dirty images of her lips on me and all the things I yearned to do to her body with my mouth, and heat blossomed through me in addictive waves.
I stood and kicked my legs, killing the tension between my thighs.
I was way over my head in love with the girl next door, and I had no idea how to tell her without scaring her away.
If by Winter Formal, Melinda and I hadn’t made it our relationship official, I would spill my guts to her that night.
Yes, that would be my deadline for everything.
I would gather all the courage I needed by then and show her we were perfect together.
I had one month left to sweep her off her feet.
This was doable. I had to prove to her I had changed and that I was looking for a lasting relationship—with her.
I had to solidify our friendship before putting my heart on the line, though.
If I played my cards right, Melinda would have no choice but to trust me with her heart and jump in with both feet, without a net to break the fall.
Tension drained away from my back. I had a plan. Something tangible to hang on to.