Page 34 of Hudson

“Yes…” she says in a breath that I don't let her finish before my lips are on hers, and I pull her tight against me.

Her hands dig into my arms to keep steady as my hands wrap her up, pulling her body against me, and sealing her lips to mine, so much so, she’s on her tiptoes. Her lips are soft, and I taste the saltiness from our popcorn as they move against mine. I run a hand up her side, bringing it to cup her jaw, tilting her head a little just as my tongue slides across her bottom lip and she opens up for me.

My tongue tangles with hers as desire swirls within me. Her hold on me increases, but she doesn’t have to worry because at this point, I’m going to struggle to let her go, already itching to have more of her. As her body softens in my hold, I kiss her like I haven’t kissed anyone in years. Our kiss in her office was electric, the chaste kiss in the cinema earlier was teasingly perfect, but this, with Lacy giving me back as much as I’m giving her, is all-encompassing and there is no turning back for me now. I’m in heaven.

“Wow…” she says quietly as we pull away slightly before I peck another few kisses on her cheek.

“Yeah, wow…” I agree, murmuring the words against her cheek, not yet ready to pull away completely.

“Giraffes are good kissers too,” she quips, and now it is my turn to laugh. Her quick wit is enough to set me off, and it feels good. I keep her close to me and walk her to the truck, opening the door and getting her inside, realizing that the kiss was great, but not enough. My ache for her is now burning, and I have no chance of simmering it down. Not after tonight, and I just hope she feels the same.

17

LACY

Iwalk out to the bottle room and survey the kids.

He looks like he is having a great time.

Of course he is, Tanner promised him ice cream. Does he have friends?

He has a friend. They are laughing at Connor.

Also, are we texting right now? Have your thumbs fallen off and working entirely on their own without you? Do you need a doctor?

I laugh as I read his response. This feels good. Feels right. I’m not sure why I waited so long to text him back after all these months.

My thumbs are perfectlyfine.

Hang on. Is this the real Lacy? Because the real Lacy doesn’t text me back usually.

Ha ha, very funny.

One of my many appealing qualities as I am sure you are starting to learn.

That and getting rid of the excess salt from my lips…

I hold my breath, biting my lip as I wait. I see the bubble dance on the screen as he replies. I haven’t really flirted like this before. It’s new. Exciting. Fun.

Jesus, Lacy, now all I can think about is your lips. I have patients to see!

I will leave you with that image, then.

Before I can think about it, I lift my cell and take a quick selfie of me pouting a kiss and send it to him.

You’re killing me…

I pocket my cell and look back at little Harvey. Hudson’s question has my heart clenching. I know what it’s like to not have many friends. I also know what it’s like to be raised by a single parent. Father’s Day at school every year was my most despised day. Mom even kept me home from school on more than one occasion, just so I didn’t have to sit there by myself, while everyone else got to do show-and-tell and play games with their dads. SoI’m happy that Harvey is giggling with another boy, whom I see with Nikki at the diner occasionally, so assume he is her child.

The movie night with Hudson was great. If just for a little while, I felt like a normal girl. He was a gentleman and swept me off my feet, if I am honest. I was giddy and a little bit smitten and Mom was more than okay when I got home, which made me feel better about everything. She was better than okay actually, and full of questions about Hudson and me, none of which I was prepared to answer. Because I just don’t know. It feels good to be with him, and the date was perfect. But it also doesn’t feel real. I’m hesitant to give myself over to it because my life has always been unsettled. Just when I seem to have a handle on things in my life, they change on a dime, and usually not for the better.

Now, a few days later, life has resumed as normal, except for this new nervous energy. I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but it’s hard not to when the man hires out an entire movie complex for your first official date. So I have buried myself in the everyday. Hudson has been busy at the hospital, and I’ve been busy preparing for my New York trip, so we haven’t seen each other again. But even now, I touch my lips, remembering the searing kiss we shared, and my stomach flips.

“So here are the machines we use to put the labels on the bottles,” Connor says, walking to the far side of a machine that’s not operating at the moment. The kids follow him like he is the pied piper, shuffling around to get a look. I search through their faces until I spot Harvey again, looking at Connor and taking it all in, justlike the rest of them, even though he’s seen it a few times already.

I wait in the wings until Connor is finished and then step up to the group as they all take their time looking at everything, the school tour now complete, before they all go into the restaurant for ice cream, compliments of Tanner.

“Lacy!” Harvey spots me the minute I walk toward them and runs forward, giving me a hug. My heart swells.

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