Chapter Five #4
And she told him the story of why her Uncle Ronnie deserved this happy ending so much.
Or happy beginning, more like. She told him about his awful first wife and what she’d done to his daughters mentally.
She told him about how much Ren had appreciated his care as she’d been growing up, and how happy she was that he’d found Kelly.
She found herself blabbing about little side stories from her youth.
Funny stories from when he’d been coaching her softball team, and she told him about this one time he’d grounded her for meandering off into the woods and getting lost for four hours and scaring him half to death.
He’d made her stay inside the whole next day, but fed her tons of ice cream because he’d felt guilty about grounding her.
He had spent the entire day watching movies with her and playing checkers, so it hadn’t really felt like grounding, and her mom had reprimanded him for being the worst at punishing her.
Mars’s chuckles encouraged her to open up more, and as the sun set completely, and the barn lights were turned on, she found herself snuggled closer to Mars’s side, with one leg drawn up and one bent and resting on his leg as she blabbed.
The wine was long gone, but the tipsiness she felt just made her bubbly with him.
Mars looked behind them and muttered an annoyed curse. When she looked back, Abe was leading Taryn to the lawn to sit on a blanket he’d grabbed at the door. As he unrolled it, he glanced over at Ren.
“You know, I was worried about seeing him again,” she murmured. “But I feel nothing.”
Mars rested his big hand on her knee, and it sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. Her stomach dipped like she was on a roller coaster as she looked up into his eyes.
The slow song from the speakers inside drifted to them on the breeze, and Mars stood, and offered his hand.
“What are you doing?” Ren asked.
“I want to dance with you again. When will we ever get this chance?”
She looked around, but no one seemed to be paying attention. With a soft smile, she slid her hand against his and allowed him to lift her off the swing.
He pulled her closer this time than when they were inside on the dance floor. He hugged her, swaying them side to side in rhythm with the song that filled the air. Her cheek rested against his chest and she closed her eyes, just enjoying the feel of him.
He was right.
When would they ever have a moment like this again? All dressed up, and dancing at a wedding, friends who were nearly strangers.
“Ren?” he asked.
“Yeah?” She looked up at him. He was so handsome as the last light of sunset warred with the barn lights for the shadows on his face.
“You really don’t know what a Rabbit is?”
She didn’t understand. “The animal?”
He inhaled deeply and frowned at the woods, and then dragged his attention back to her. “If I kiss you, would you run?”
“No.”
“Good. You can’t ever run, okay?”
She shook her head, so confused.
“I have to be careful when I’m with you,” he whispered, his eyes trying to tell her something she couldn’t comprehend. “I have to be careful when I touch you.”
“Okay. What can I do to help?”
“Warn me if you ever need to run,” he said so softly, she almost missed it.
He squeezed her hand and leaned in slowly. His gaze was on her eyes, then drifted to her lips.
He was going to kiss her. Really. He was going to kiss her.
He stopped inches from her lips, leaving her a choice.
She chose him.
Pushing up on her tiptoes, Ren pressed her lips so softly to his, and then came back to earth, eyes searching his. He kept his eyes closed for a three count, and then he slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, covering her lips with his.
The feel of him. The taste of him. The strength in the way he touched her. Fireworks were exploding in her middle, and she found herself grasping his shirt, desperate for more, desperate to keep him close to her.
He angled his head and pushed his tongue past her lips, and a helpless sound escaped her.
Click.
Mars froze and made a pecking sound as he eased out of their kiss. His eyes drifted over her shoulder.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”
Ren turned to find one of the wedding photographers standing there reviewing the picture she’d just taken.
“You two just looked so lovely out here and the lighting was perfect and I couldn’t help myself.
She turned the camera toward Ren, and she nearly gasped at how beautiful it was.
Her dress had lifted in the breeze, and Mars looked so tall and strong and dark next to her.
His hand was holding hers, and his other was gripping her hair in the back.
The look on his face was a combination of hunger and relief.
“Thank you,” Ren said, not knowing what else to say in this moment, or how Mars felt about the picture of their kiss.
“It’ll be in the gallery when it goes live,” the photographer promised. With a smile, she said, “You two have a great night.”
She left and Ren dared a look back up at Mars. His dark brows were drawn down in a troubled look. “I don’t know if this is okay,” he said.
“Oh.”
“Was that kiss for him or for me?” Mars asked, jutting his chin over her shoulder.
Confused, Ren looked and saw Abe there. “I forgot he was here. I forgot everything was here.”
Mars let off a long steadying breath and nodded. “Good.”
He cupped her curls and gripped them gently on either side of her face and searched her eyes with his glowing blue ones. “I won’t hurt you.”
It was such a strange oath to make in this moment.
“I won’t hurt you either,” she promised.
A sad looking smile cracked his face, and he released her. “Yeah, well I’m not your Rabbit.”
And before she could ask him anything else, he grabbed her hand and led her past Abe and Taryn, and back into the brightly lit barn, where a new song had begun.