Page 49 of Summer Kisses

She tipped her head to the side. "You sound so confident."

"That's because I am." If what my mom said was true, then we were meant to be, and I was going to stop questioning myself. I was lucky enough to have Hazel in my life, and I wasn't going to let her go without a fight.

She finally nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, you'll give me a chance?"

"No promises. I'm still not sure it's worth blowing up our friendship."

"We aren't blowing anything up, unless you're talking about the bedroom."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're impossible."

"You love it though."

A smile curved over her face. "I think I do."

"Let's give everyone a show." I grabbed her hand and twirled her in front of me, her hair swirling behind her, and laughter rang out. She was gorgeous.

I pulled her back toward me and then dipped her. Except this time, I kissed her until I heard the cheers from around us.

"Get a room, you two," Shep said.

I helped Hazel to stand. "What do you say we get outta here?"

She grinned, her gaze never wavering from mine. "Let's do it."

I intertwined my fingers with hers and led her through the crowd and to my truck. We didn't say goodbye to my parents. I let everyone think I couldn't wait to get her home alone. It wasn't far from the truth. I didn't think she'd take my offer tonight, but I hoped she would soon.

In the cab, the tension between us was palpable. I gripped the steering wheel tight, listening for any sign that she was giving into the chemistry between us.

I was willing to wait her out, even if it killed me.

Chapter Thirteen

HAZEL

My heart was pounding so hard I was certain he could hear it in the confines of the truck cab. We drove in silence, no radio playing and no small talk. It was as if we both knew tonight was a turning point.

Either I made a move toward him, or I was putting a stop to the possibility of us forever. At his house, he put the truck in park and killed the engine.

He paused for a second, taking off his seatbelt, and then looked over at me. We moved at the same time, our lips crashing together.

His hands were on both sides of my head as if he didn't want to let me get away. I had no intention of going anywhere. I'd dream of this moment for too long to walk away now.

The kiss was a little wild, as if we didn't know quite what to do first. I knew I wanted to be closer to him, and the console was between us.

"Inside," he finally growled.

I unhooked my seatbelt and reached for the handle behind me. But before I could get out, he was there. He tugged me down and closed the door. We rushed up the steps to the front door, where he shoved the key into the lock.

Inside, he slammed the door closed and grabbed my hand, leading me to his bedroom—no,ourbedroom now—and paused in front of the bed. We were both breathing hard, our chests heaving.

"I don't want to assume anything—" he said. At the same time, I said, "I want you."

"Fuck, yes." Then he tugged me so that I fell against him, and he was kissing me. His hands were everywhere—my hips, my shoulders, and the base of my skull—tilting me to the perfect angle.

I'd never get enough of this. Him. I was surrounded by his body, his scent, and his touch. It was amazing. I couldn't believe I'd waited a long time to see if there was something between us. Now that we had, I wasn’t sure I could go back to the way it was before.

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