Chapter 6 Leith
Leith
Clarke Cartwright was kissing me. On the mouth. With her mouth.
I let my eyes close, and I dropped my phone. I didn’t even hear it hit the ground. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care about anything else right now.
I wound one of my arms around her waist for the third time today. It wasn’t like I was counting, though. Sure, I used to think about what it would be like to kiss Clarke…a lot…but that was when we were kids. I hadn’t thought of her in that way—this way—for years. Or, at least, not very often.
I guess that didn’t matter in this moment, though, because I was kissing her back pretty fucking convincingly. My other hand was on her jaw. I felt her hair on my fingertips, and I pulled her closer.
A small gasp came out of her mouth, and I swallowed it down.
Someone cleared their throat nearby. I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t know if I could. Clarke didn’t pull back at the intruder either.
She kept kissing me too.
“Leith Wilkes and Clarke Cartwright,” a voice said after a gasp. It sounded shocked and vaguely unhappy. “What the hell are you doing in my place of business after hours?”
Clarke pulled back from our kiss, and like there was a magnet in her mouth, I moved in the same direction for half a second before I got ahold of myself. I straightened up, and it took real effort for me to take my eyes off her glazed ones.
I turned my attention to Ron—a stout, balding man in his midfifties, who appeared to have his pajamas on under his coat.
I found Ron tiresome and irritating most of the time, but this moment took the cake.
All I wanted to do was kiss Clarke again.
This time without interruption. I’d forgotten why we were here.
Hell, I’d forgotten where we were. It didn’t feel like it mattered when I had Clarke’s mouth on mine less than a second ago.
“Sorry,” Clarke said with a giggle. I’d never heard a sound like that come out of her mouth. It was very convincing. “We came to check on Coop’s and noticed a few doors were open and lights on—that sort of thing.” Clarke positioned herself under my arm and put a hand on my stomach.
When she did, I was promptly reminded that—before she planted one on me—Clarke shoved a bunch of papers down my pants. Right. So the kiss wouldn’t have even happened without Ron showing up…maybe I should thank him?
“We didn’t want to leave the lights on and stuff, so we decided to make sure everything was locked up, and I don’t know, we just…”
“Got a little carried away,” I chimed in, understanding where she was trying to take this situation. “I have a hard time keeping my hands off this one. Isn’t that right, honey?”
In response, Clarke elbowed me in the ribs with more force than I was expecting. Good thing the papers softened the blow.
Ron blinked slowly and then shook his head quickly. “I, uh, did run out of here quickly tonight…had to get home for dinner—forgot all the client files I needed. I must’ve forgotten to lock the back door on my way out too.”
“Happens to the best of us,” I said with a good-natured grin.
Ron gave me a slow nod. I think he was still in shock from what he walked in on. It was quick thinking on Clarke’s part. I just wish that part lasted a little longer.
“So sorry again,” Clarke said. “We better get going. We’ll leave the locking up to you?” She started to turn to walk toward the back, and I was ready to follow.
“I didn’t know…” Ron trailed off for a moment. “That you two were an item.”
“We’re not,” Clarke said at the same time I brought my pointer finger up to my mouth and said “shhh,” with a wink.
Clarke elbowed me again.
“It’s been quite a ride,” I said before planting an exaggerated smooch on the side of her head—might as well go all in. “But I don’t want it to stop.”
“Ah.” Ron nodded after a few beats of silence. “Well, your secret is safe with me.”
I’ve lived in Sweetwater Peak my whole life, so I knew that our secret was, in fact, not safe with Ron. But we’d have to cross that bridge when we came to it.
“Good night,” Clarke said as she steered us toward the back door. I was acutely aware of exactly where her arm was wrapped around my middle. “Get home safe! Stay warm!”
Once we reached the door, she turned the small lock on the inside doorknob. “We got this one!”
“Smart move,” I whispered.
Once the door closed, both Clarke and I let out a relieved sigh. “Okay,” she said. “Do you have the file?”
I lifted my shirt and grabbed the stack of papers. Clarke looked the other way. “File secure,” I said. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The file sat between the two of us on the bench seat as I drove Clarke home. She went between biting on her thumbnail and chewing on the inside of her cheek. It had been mostly silent since we made it out of Coop’s without Ron coming after us.
To be honest, I wasn’t totally confident in my plan before Ron showed up, but after seeing the state of his office, I was fairly sure we’d get away with it. I doubt he knew where anything was.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence. I couldn’t take it anymore. Curse my stupid need to fill space with the sound of my own voice. Especially around Clarke. “You know Ron’s going to tell everyone he found us making out in his office.”
“We weren’t making out,” Clarke said. “We were kissing for like two seconds, and there wasn’t even tongue.” It didn’t feel like two seconds. How could a two-second kiss shake up my head this bad?
“You know how this town works,” I said. “By the time the gossip makes its way back to us, we’ll have been having sex on his desk.”
“Oh my god,” Clarke said. I couldn’t be sure because the cab of the truck was dark, but I thought she was blushing. “Maybe Ron won’t even say anything.”
I guffawed. “Right.”
“Is this going to cause problems for you?” Clarke asked after a few beats.
“What do you mean?”
“With…Alison.” Her voice was quiet—tentative, even.
“No.” I shook my head quickly. “We’ve been broken up for a while.”
“You guys break up a lot,” Clarke said. “And then you get back together, and then you break up, and then you get back together—”
“I get the point,” I said, interrupting her. I didn’t need a play-by-play of my nearly decade on-again, off-again relationship. I was there when it happened. “But that’s not happening anymore. We’re broken up for good.”
“Why?”
I absolutely didn’t feel like talking about this, but Clarke stayed quiet. She was smart enough that I felt like she was weaponizing my need to fill the silence. “Ali and I don’t work.”
“There has to be something there,” Clarke said. “For it to last that long in the first place.”
“There is something there,” I agreed. “Just not…everything.” And I was looking for everything. I thought Ali and I would grow into that, but we never did—too much was missing, and it became more noticeable the older we got and the harder we tried.
“I’m sorry,” Clarke said quietly.
“Me too,” and I was. There were real feelings between Ali and me and years of friendship—just not the right feelings, I guess.
“Well, the rumor mill in Sweetwater Peak moves fast, so I don’t think we’ll be the targets for too long,” I said. “If at all.” That last part was more for Clarke’s benefit than mine.
“I hope you’re right,” she responded. We were close to her house now—just one more turn. When I rolled my truck to a stop, I almost asked her if we could hang out for a little while longer. I didn’t think I wanted to face whatever was in that file alone.
Before I got the courage to ask, though, Clarke was out of the truck. “I’ll grab Bill for you, so you can keep your heater going.” I didn’t even have a chance to protest before she shut the door.
Whatever happened tonight, it was obvious that Clarke felt like she’d spent enough time with me.
I didn’t think I’d stop remembering that kiss anytime soon.