Page 58 of Digging Up Love
Barn, country night ...nope.
Great outdoors? Fine by him, especially with fossils nearby. But straight-up country? Outside his comfort zone by miles. He itched his neck where something with too many legs tickled his nape. But not to be outdone, he grabbed the rough edge and vaulted over, skipping the ladder. He stood up and found Alisha right in front of him, her teeth gleaming.
“Nice hops,” she said.
Whatever they were standing on gave way unnervingly under his feet, like a trampoline. Hay? Straw? He didn’t know the difference. She scampered higher, though, climbing the stack like a mountain goat. She reached the top and plopped down, kicking her heels against the bales.
Why had he come out here with her? After resolving to stay away, protect his heart, he’d fallen right back into her hypnotic pull. Grabbing on to the poky bales, he fought for purchase and scrabbled the rest of the way up, collapsing facedown next to her.
“Graceful.” Her voice came from above his shoulder.
Quentin chuckled, inhaling dust. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.” He coughed and rolled over, sitting up next to her, both of them facing out into the dim expanse. “This straw is really prickly.”
“Hay.”
“Yup. Hay. That’s what I said.” He shifted in search of a comfortable position. Impossible. “Other than that, though, super fun.”
“You’re teasing me.” She reached over to poke him in his abs. His muscles tightened by reflex, everywhere, a bolt of lightning zoomingthrough him at the touch. She dropped her hand, and he caught it, threading his fingers through hers.
“Iwasteasing you,” he said, voice husky. “But I’m having fun. Being with you is becoming one of my favorite things.” The cover of night and her hand in his left him dazed. His stubborn heart pounded in time with Alisha’s, at war with a mind fighting to tame his desire by whispering,Untrustworthy. Unsafe.
But was she?
Her grandparents had been through a lot; he could understand Alisha’s hesitation in wanting to spring more change on them. Waiting to share the news until the last minute didn’t sit well with him at all. But moving across the state and away from home wasn’t the same as breaking your engagement, was it?
And tonight she’d switched on, like a hundred-watt light bulb. She’d been candid and open and completely at ease. His plan to freeze her out left his chest tight, his blood cold. The opposite of the fire simmering through him now, smoldering between their clasped hands. He couldn’t turn his back on her now. Not when maybe, just maybe, they had a real shot.
“I don’t mind spending time with you, either, Quentin Harris,” Alisha said softly, reaching up her other hand to press gently on his shoulder. Pushing, but he felt the pull instead. “Though I agree. The setting leaves a lot to be desired.”
She dropped her fingertips from his shoulder and leaned back onto her arm. Even though their hands were still intertwined, he wanted more. Closer. His fuzzy brain couldn’t seem to focus on her words.
“Meg loves this quiet life, but all I’ve ever wanted was the heartbeats of a thousand people around me. As funny as it sounds, I feel like I can breathe best when I’m surrounded by people. Out here, with the open expanses, things are too noisy.” She tipped forward and pulled out a piece of hay, rolling it between her fingertips. “Doesn’t make sense, I know.”
“No, it does. I figured it was just because I grew up in the city, but when I’m on digs, I miss civilization so much.” Her eyes swung in his direction, and he hastened to add, “Not just running water and flush toilets. But more so the sound of cars outside the window. The rattle of the L lately,” he said, and one corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile, thinking of the elevated Green Line train that ran right outside his apartment. “I feel most alive in the city.” He brushed her thigh with their joined hands, forgetting it was bare until his knuckles skimmed the silky smoothness. “I guess we have that in common.”
“That and dinosaurs,” she said, a smile in her words.
“True.” He grinned in return. “So, what did you used to do out here?”
“In haylofts? Well, Meg’s grandparents had a rope swing in their barn across town, and we used to spend hours on it. I felt so free. But later ...,” she said, then paused. “Later on, barns were a popular make-out spot.”
Whoa, hold up. The banked fire between them combusted into a blaze. Did she mean ... “So that’s the, uh ...” His voice broke, and he palmed his neck. “Making out in a barn is the activity you were thinking I might not have done, when you invited me out here?”
“What?” Her head swung up, and the whites of her wide eyes showed in the dim light. “Oh gosh. No. I just ... I mean, I wasn’t planning onthat. I just ...” She pulled up another handful of hay. “I guess I thought a trip to the country wouldn’t be complete without a barn experience. Er, notthatkind of a barn exp—”
“Alisha.”
She stopped talking, and he swept a hungry gaze over the dip and curve of her lips. Then she leaned in, and he knew—knewthat it was himself she was reaching for in the darkness. He let his elbow drop and dipped toward her, lifting his other hand to touch her cheek, but he paused just short, waiting.
In answer, she swayed forward and leaned into his palm. He caressed her temple, so soft, then swept his thumb down over her earlobe. Her breathing quickened, fingers grazing up his thigh, just below his hip.
“Alisha ...” He breathed the next word, a wish, a prayer, and an invitation, all in one. “Please.”
In the space of a skipped heartbeat, she erased the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Thank the Lord above. Quentin cupped the other side of her face, and they melted into each other like ice cream dripping down a sugar cone, and every bit as sweet. Her lips parted under his, and he swallowed a groan as her fingers skated up his thigh to hook into his belt loop. A tug drew him closer, deeper.
The slickness of her tongue sent him plummeting, spiraling, and he surrendered. His hand dropped to her waist, gripping her tight. Light burst like a sparkler behind his eyelids—
Wait, no. Not sparks from the kiss. An actual light, beaming through the barn door. He and Alisha zapped apart like they’d touched an electric fence.
