10. Mia
MIA
This was all such a great idea.
From the deer blind to having Judy have Jake call David to just freaking kissing him, I am feeling so damned smart right now.
Then David lifts his hands, slides them into my hair, turns me and presses me against the side of the truck, and…brilliant.
All of this is brilliant.
I am simply brilliant.
It’s not like I’m some kind of kissing expert, but I’ve written a lot of great kisses. Hot kisses. Sexy kisses. Kisses that lead to a lot more.
But when I kiss David Bennett, I’m still shocked that I actually feel tingles explode in my belly and shoot down through my pelvis and then all the way to my toes.
And that’s with me ambushing him.
Imagine if he kissed me with all the intention of turning me on and taking it further.
Then I start to pull back and his big hand cups the back of my head, draws me in, and he says against my mouth, “You started this,” then he tips his head slightly to the side and meets my lips again with his.
This time the tingles turn into full-blown fireworks.
His stubble abrades my skin, his lips demand mine open, his tongue runs over my lower lip before stroking into my mouth. He doesn’t lean into me, but I have the definite feel of being caged in, held exactly where he wants me. Claimed.
There’s no mistaking that he has taken over and answered my challenge.
If my kiss is tentative and let’s-see-what-happens, his is very definitive and oh-girl-I’m-not-sure-you’re-ready.
I’m not sure I’m ready either.
But I know that I don’t care.
Just kissing him has the edge of excitement to it that I am craving.
I don’t care if I’m out of my depth, it feels like falling without a parachute combined with the assuredness that the landing will still be soft.
That is what David does for me. Even if what we’re embarking on feels new and a little scary, I know that he’ll make sure I’m safe.
It’s exhilarating.
And I definitely want more.
With that in mind, my hands go to his waist, and I thread my fingers through his belt loops, pulling him closer. He closes the inches between us with a groan, now pressing into me.
He moves his hands, so they are braced on the truck on either side of my head, holding himself back slightly, but not letting my mouth go. His lips press, then retreat, press, then retreat. His tongue strokes as if he needs to taste every single inch of my mouth.
I arch closer, willing to let him have whatever he wants.
His hands stay firmly on the truck though, and finally he straightens his elbows, breaking the kiss and staring down at me.
His gaze is hot, his breathing ragged.
“Well?” he asks.
“Well, what?” I ask.
“How did I do? On the book boyfriend scale?”
One of my brows lifts. Book boyfriend? How does he know that term? I laugh lightly. “Very well. Ten out of ten.”
He grins. “Oh damn. Well, I guess we don’t need to keep working on it then.”
My grin grows, but I shake my head. “Three out of ten. Definitely lots of room to work on improving. We should practice a lot.”
He chuckles, the sound low and sexy, rumbling through me and making my pussy flutter.
“No, that was an excellent first kiss,” I tell him.
“Agree.”
I grab the front of his shirt as he tries to step back. “But just first, right? I mean, there will be more, right?”
He lifts his hand and drags his thumb over my bottom lip. I swear my nipples tighten.
“It was nice hunting with you. I’m just sending you home with a warning this time.”
“A warning? To not hunt out of season? Or trespass?”
“To not wear a lipstick the next time you and I are alone together. It makes it very obvious that I kissed you.”
Then he pulls me away as he opens the door to the truck, lifts me up onto the seat, and says, “Drive back to town safely. I wouldn’t want the cop to pick you up for erratic driving or speeding.”
Then he shuts the door and steps back. I’m not sure what else to do, so I start the truck and shift into drive.
As I start to pull out, I see him get into his truck. He follows me all the way out onto the highway and then into Sapphire Falls. He does turn off, however, when I make the turn to go to Charlie’s house to return the truck.
Charlie answers the door only seconds after I knock, obviously having seen me pull into his driveway.
He props his shoulder against the door jamb. “So how did it go?”
I hand over the keys. “He came out. We talked for a long time.”
Charlie motions with his hand for me to go on. “That’s it?”
“And I kissed him.”
Charlie grins. “Good job.”
I nod. “Then he kissed me .”
Charlie nods. “Okay. That’s awesome.”
I tip my head. “Have you ever told him the term ‘book boyfriend’?”
Charlie looks surprised for a moment then says, “I might’ve mentioned it. Why?”
“He just said it tonight and it seems like a strange term for him to know.”
Charlie looks puzzled. “I agree. I don’t know where else he would’ve heard it though. Maybe I said it in passing? I’m not sure.”
“Well, anyway, the next date needs to involve dirt bikes or four wheelers. He says that’s what he likes to do most outside. And he wants to teach me how to ride. How can we set that up?”
Charlie chuckles. “That’s the easiest thing ever. We’ll just have a bonfire. Invite some people out. We can ride ahead of time. That’s very casual. If a bunch of people show up, it’s not like your dad can think it’s a date with just you and David.”
“That’s true.” Though I have to admit that I am disappointed by the idea that we won’t be alone.
“And then you guys can always linger after the bonfire,” Charlie says, practically reading my mind.
I perk up at that. “That’s true. Oh. Maybe I could camp out there. I have no idea how to do that. He’d have to stick around and help me right?”
Charlie laughs. “I don’t think David is gonna let you camp out there.”
I give him a sly smile. “David won’t let me camp out there alone .”
“There you go.”
“I really do want to learn about four wheelers and dirt bikes though. Could you give me some lessons?”
“I thought you said David wanted to teach you.”
“Yeah, but if I just ask him, he might say no. That kind of feels like a date. I think he’s into this, but I almost feel like it’s a challenge. Like he really wants me to come up with ideas and like he wants to see how far I’ll go to work this out.”
“I’ve got you,” Charlie says, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.
“You can’t just call him and tell him to take me dirt-bike riding,” I say.
“Come on, I won’t be that direct. But this is easy.” He starts typing into his phone then hits send.
“What did you do?”
“I told him that I’m gonna teach you how to ride.”
“What? If you teach me that he won’t need to.”
“Wait for it,” Charlie says.
A couple seconds later his phone dings with a text. Charlie reads it, then grins. He holds his phone up to me.
The fuck you will.
Charlie laughs. “David’s not going to let anyone else teach you to ride. So the best way to get him out to this bonfire is to tell him someone else is going to.”
I feel light and warm in my chest. And lower.
David wants to see me. He wants to keep this up. And it is fun. Sure, I could probably ask him to meet me in the next town for coffee or a drink. But this is fun. I get to come up with interesting ways to steal time with him and prove to him that I really want this.
David is worth it. I want him to know that this is worth some effort.
And I have never been a pursuer before.
Who says the girl can’t go after the guy?
This is good for me too. It’s making me come out of my shell, it’s giving me some confidence, I get to be creative, and then get the endorphins when my plan works and he’s thrilled.
Not to mention the way he kisses me.
I definitely want more of all of this.
“Okay, let’s do it. Thanks, Charlie. It’s fun conspiring with you.”
“My brother is a lucky guy.” Charlie grins at me. “And you’re lucky too. He’s a great guy. I’m really grateful that you’re showing him that.”
“My pleasure.” I turn to leave, but then think to say, “Oh by the way. Maybe don’t read the most recent chapters of my Hot Cakes fanfic.”
“Yeah? Why is that?”
“They are especially spicy. And I’ve had a recent surge of inspiration. Knowing what you know, you might be a little uncomfortable.”
He groans as I descend his front steps. “You could’ve just not said that and I might not have thought of it.”
I laugh. “Just don’t read the most recent two chapters. Or the next several.”
“I just realized that this is going to be a problem for me.”
“Not sorry,” I call back.
Not sorry at all.