Page 32 of Hooked
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Chapter Seven
The kiss spunout like one long, sweet sigh. Jeremy’s lips were soft and warm. His beard tickled her mouth, and she felt a shiver race down her back. She stepped closer and slid her arms around his waist between his vest and his shirt, running her hands along the warm ridges of muscle at the small of his back as their bodies pressed together.
He was hard and lean. She was soft and curvy. His hand fell at the rise of her hip and he squeezed. Tayla sighed in the back of her throat. His other hand came to rest on her shoulder blade, long fingers running up and down in a line between her shoulders.
It was perfect. Slow and luxurious. He wasn’t pushing for anything. He was savoring, like she was a treat he’d been waiting to enjoy. Jeremy took her lower lip between his teeth and tugged just a little before he released her.
“Hmmm.”
Tayla blinked her eyes open. “Hi.”
“Don’t tell my pop, okay?” His voice was rough.
“That you kissed me?”
“That I enjoyed my dessert before dinner.” Jeremy squeezed her hip one more time before he stepped back, rubbing his thumb along his lower lip. “Let me get this set up and we’ll eat.”
Tayla felt flustered. Confused. Dates were charming get-togethers in glittering places where everyone tried to impress each other. This date was all that… but it was also something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was going to drive her crazy.Hewas going to drive her crazy. That wasn’t in the plan.
“Can I help with anything?”
Jeremy cocked his head at her. “Are you joking? This is for you. Sit down and enjoy the scenery. Watch the lake. Relax. I know you had a long week. It’s tax season.”
It was tax season, but she was a bookkeeper this year, not in an accounting firm. “Still, I want to help. You’ve done all this—”
“You can plan the next date,” he said. “And pick some music. There’s a speaker in the truck.”
“Okay.” The next date? How was she going to top this? “And don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, getting me to commit to date two before date one is over.”
“I’m just saying you’re going to have to work to impress me.” He spread his hands out. “There are candles. And scenery.” He popped open a Tupperware. “And a lot of cheese.”
She scowled at him. “You fight dirty, Mr. Allen.”
“The gauntlet has been thrown, Miss McKinnon.” He tossed a cloth napkin on the table. “Okay, that was a napkin and not a gauntlet, but the challenge stands.” He set a bottle of wine on the table. “I await your response.”
“You are such a geek.” She couldn’t stop the laugh. “Fine. I’ll plan the next one.”
Wait, wasn’t she going to tell him she didn’t date? Especially in Metlin?
She could tell him next time. It would be rude to give him the big “I don’t date” speech in the middle of what was—by any objective standard—a truly awesome date.
Plus hanging out with Jeremy was fun. And relaxing. He was an excellent kisser. He made her laugh. And she wanted to see what he was like when he was being slightly less proper.
She wandered down by the lakeside, snapping pictures and posting them to social media. She’d already posted pictures with the backpack and added links. She took a few pictures of the tent, leaving Jeremy out of the frame, teasing her followers with captions like…
He didn’t have to go to all this trouble—jk he totally did.
What do u know? Country boys speak romance. Lucky me.
Big girls. Hot dates.She included a few appropriate—or inappropriate—emojis on that one.
The likes on the backpack pic were insane. The likes on the tent pic were even better. Who knew dating could be good for traffic?
“I’m putting pics of the tent and stuff on Instagram, but not you, okay?”
“Okay.”
