Page 72 of Love Among Vines

He tipped her chin up and pressed his lips to hers. A shiver shot through his body, followed by a wash of heat. There was a long, slow pull in his stomach as she opened her mouth and let him in.

Penny had apparently decided that was enough and catapulted herself into the backseat. Rett dragged Jade to him, burying his hand in her hair. Strands slipped between his fingers as he plundered her mouth with his tongue.

Her fingers splayed across his chest. Could she feel his heartbeat? It was stuttering along at an unprecedented pace.

He had just meant to show her his attraction was genuine. But now it would take an earthquake to tear them apart.

She climbed on top of him, and her pelvis ground onto his. His hands moved from her back to her front and began a slow ascent to cup those infuriatingly distracting breasts. She gasped and arched her back. Her body responded to him like a finely tuned instrument.

He had never been this hard in his life.

He tugged the neck of her shirt down and took her nipple between his teeth. Her whole body shuddered like a plane battered by turbulence. She reached between his legs and groped over the layer of denim.

Suddenly, something rapped at the driver’s side window. Jade gasped and scrambled away from him.

He bit back a sigh. He was going to have to go around all night with a halfie.

A light flashed over the steamy window as she fixed her shirt. Rett adjusted himself and calmly put the window down.

A stern-looking cop with a beer belly appeared, flashlight in one hand. When he saw Rett, his expression changed instantly.

“Rett?” he asked, visibly surprised.

“Hey, Scooter. Slow night?”

“Sorry, man.” Scooter clicked off his flashlight and leaned on Rett’s window. “There was a complaint. I thought I was about to prevent a teenage pregnancy.”

“No teenagers here,” Jade said with a smile. She leaned over Rett and shook the cop’s hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Jade.”

“My name’s Pete, but everyone calls me Scooter.”

“Any particular reason?” She cocked her head.

“In high school, he rode down the hill on Route 54 on two scooters before crashing through a plate-glass window,” Rett explained.

Scooter tutted. “That’s why all these are fake.” He tapped his top row of teeth. “Hey, listen,” he said to Rett. “I don’t mean to be a buzzkill. I’m all kinds of excited to see you getting back out there. But maybe in the future, try not to do it at a public park that’s closed. It’s kind of illegal.”

“It was my fault,” Jade said. “I got carried away.”

“I don’t blame you, miss. He’s a good-looking fella.” He mussed Rett’s hair, then drew back. “You all skedaddle and have a safe night.”

“Thank you, officer,” Jade called as he left.

“Now you’ve done it,” Rett said.

“Done what?”

“Scooter is married to Hammondsport’s biggest gossip. We’ll be the talk of the town by morning.”

“Whoops. Well, poker night awaits.” Jade smoothed her hair back and smiled. Her perma-frown was gone. It felt better than it should have to see her smile again.

“In here!”Cindy’s voice called when they arrived five minutes later.

Music thumped from the kitchen. Rett guided Jade with a hand on the curve of her back. They passed a small office on the right before continuing down the hallway to a lake-themed living room with luxurious furniture and vaulted ceilings. Rett gently nudged her to the right.

Cindy and Tom were in the open-concept kitchen, wearing matching aprons and dancing to The Killers.

“Oh, I love this song!” Jade dropped Rett’s hand and rushed in, fist pumping and hopping to “Mr. Brightside” until the song came to an end. Even Penny joined in, dancing on her back legs and doing a couple turns. Branson came to investigate.

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