Chapter Six #3
“Riding is in your blood, then.” The color drained from her face in an instant. Mitch frowned, unsure if it had really happened or if he’d imagined it. “Are you okay?”
She closed her eyes, breathing through her nose. When she opened her eyes, the smile was back on her lips. “How’s your riding?”
“Non-existent, I’m afraid. I’ve never been on a horse.”
Jackie’s head jerked back in shock. “Wow. That’s … I didn’t see that coming.”
“Have you really never met a guy who’s not been on a horse?”
Her brow raised. “Met? Sure. Been on a date with one? Never.”
Mitch tugged on the collar of his shirt, a shiver running down his spine. He sipped his beer, thoughts running wild. What if that was a deal-breaker for her? The fact that he was a useless city boy.
“Oh my god, you’re sweating.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “You think I’ll like you less because you can’t ride?”
“Well—” Mitch started, but Jackie grabbed his hand.
“I don’t swim. I fell overboard when I was seven, maybe eight.
Nothing happened, I had a life vest on, but it scared the hell out of me.
I haven’t been in open water since then.
” She squeezed his fingers. “I was just surprised because you’ve told me you want to be an equine vet.
That’s all. But, honestly, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. ”
He cleared his throat, running his thumb over her knuckles. “I’ve been around horses. My parents have always been too afraid I’d injure myself and not be able to swim for a time. So, they never let me try.”
A song Mitch knew well came on from the speakers, “What Kinda Gone” by Chris Cagle. Unconsciously, his right leg started slowly tapping on the wooden floor to the music.
Jackie hummed under her breath like she understood more than what he conveyed. “Would you like to learn? I could teach you.” She tilted her head, biting the corner of her lip. “Probably about some other things, too.”
Their eyes locked and for a fleeting second, the four walls of the bar dissolved into nothing. Song lyrics blended into indistinguishable melody. The floor beneath his feet was the only solid thing anchoring him to reality.
He swallowed, the implied innuendo burning itself into his mind. There was no chance in hell he wasn’t going to imagine all the things Jackie could teach him later on, when they were alone.
“Oh, I know! You could help me overcome my fear of water in exchange! Yes, that’d be amazing.” She beamed at him. “Please say yes. It’d be so much fun.”
Her long eyelashes fluttered over her ice blue eyes.
Mitch groaned. How the hell was he supposed to say no to her?
Why would you say no anyway, you idiot? It’d mean spending more time with her. Which is what you want.
“Fine. Let’s do that,” he said.
Jackie squealed, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck. The unexpected impact of her body hitting his almost toppled him to the floor. He wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her up as he regained balance.
“You’ll Think of Me” by Keith Urban was now playing, one of Mitch’s favorites. He pressed his open palm against Jackie’s lower back. “May I have this dance?”
Her chest rose and fell against his. Untangling her limbs from his, she straightened up and extended her hand. “Thought you’d never ask.”
She led him to the middle of the floor, where several couples were already slow-dancing.
Mitch put both his hands on her hips, his breath catching as she put her hands on his shoulders. He wasn’t a great dancer, but this, swaying from side to side, was something he could do. Damn him, he’d do it all night long if it meant he could be close to her.
The chorus came on and Jackie closed the remaining space between their bodies, pressing herself into his chest.
Mitch closed his eyes, wanting to etch this moment into his memory. His heart thumped against his ribcage. His ears distorted the music, amplifying the sound of his breathing.
The song finished but neither of them made a move to walk off the dance floor. “Do I” by Luke Bryan swiftly followed.
Mitch pressed his hands more firmly onto her hips, his heartbeat so wild and loud that he was certain everyone in the bar could hear it.
Jackie cupped his cheek, guiding his head down to look at her. “You know I like you, right?”
He inhaled sharply. “And I do you. I like you a lot, Jackie.”
She gave him a small smile. “Glad to hear it.”
His forehead dropped to hers. A zap of energy rushed through his body, all the way to the tips of his toes.
Her breath warmed his nose and dipped to his lips, which tingled with anticipation.
Go on, kiss her.
Everything had stopped. All he saw was Jackie.
Not wanting to overthink, in one sweeping motion, he tilted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. They tasted of sweet lemons and sugar.
Jackie pushed her fingers into his hair.
Their tongues met, hesitant at first but they soon found a rhythm.
Mitch didn’t want to break the kiss. Jackie’s hips in his hands, his fingers moving over her back, hers tugging on his hair, their bodies joined in a fierce embrace.
If a kiss could spark a real flame, an inferno would’ve consumed Betty’s Hens and all the surrounding buildings.
It felt right. Wonderful. Magical.
If Mitch had been unaware he was already falling for her, he definitely knew it now.
When his lungs burned for air, he pushed away, panting. Jackie’s lips were swollen, some of the lipstick smeared off, probably transferred onto his. But he didn’t give a damn.
They hadn’t realized that the song had finished. The other couples were stepping around them, no one paying any attention. No one knew how much had just changed in his life, how much this single kiss had altered his DNA, his very soul.
Jackie licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “That was …”
“Epic.”
She chuckled, taking his hand in hers and leading him off the dance floor. When they got to a wooden beam, she pushed him against it and put her hands on his chest.
“I was going to say great, but epic works.” She drew in a shaky breath.
“Good.” He took a step toward her, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger. “Because I plan to kiss you often.”
Her tongue darted over her lips. “I’ll take that as a promise. And you should know I don’t like breaking those.”
“Me neither.”
“And …” She paused. “You’ll only be kissing me? No one else?”
Mitch frowned, looking at her like she had sprouted two heads. “Jackie. If I can kiss you, why would I ever want to kiss anyone else? Of course it’ll only be you.”
She nodded, seemingly satisfied, and lifted her right hand. “Pinky promise?”
Mitch glanced down at her small finger sticking out. Confused at first, he soon worked out she wanted him to hook his finger with hers. “Pinky promise.”
They shook hands, pinkies intertwined.
A serious expression settled on Jackie’s face. “We need something else to seal it.” She looked to him expectantly.
Mitch looked to her creased forehead. “How about a forehead kiss?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she nodded, tipping her head back. “Forehead kisses, pinky promises. I like it.”
Mitch laughed, a wave of warmth and happiness smashing against his chest from the inside. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy. His lips lingered for a second against her skin as he dropped a soft kiss to her forehead, their pinkie fingers still connected.
“Forehead kisses, pinky promises.”