Page 64 of Something Tattered
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when you stopped by earlier, you said that I'd never meet them."
"No. What I said was, you'd never meet the one."
For some reason, the distinction made me feel a whole lot better. "You mean the one with the Camaro?"
"Yeah. Him." Joel's voice hardened. "I wouldn’t let him within ten feet of you."
"Why not?"
"Because he's a dick."
I don't know why, but I laughed. "Oh. Okay."
"And I don't trust him." His gaze met mine. "Not with someone as sweet as you."
My heart gave a funny little flutter. "You think I'm sweet?"
He leaned his head a fraction closer to mine. In a quiet voice, he said, "You know I do."
Our chairs suddenly felt way too far apart. I leaned toward him, wondering if he'd say anything else, or even better, if he'd kiss me. But I must've leaned too far, because my chair practically toppled over, leaving me laughing in embarrassment, even as Joel reached out to steady me in my seat.
His hands were on my upper arms, and he wasn't pulling away. I dropped my stick, marshmallow and all, and ignored the telltale sizzle of it being consumed by the flames.
My chair was steady now, but I wasn't. And I was feeling less steady with every passing moment.
Joel smiled. "You alright?"
His hands were large, but his grip was gentle. The feel of his touch, even as innocent as it was, warmed me far more than the fire.
I felt myself nod.
He said, "Remember what you asked me?"
With him so close, I was having a hard time remembering anything. I whispered, "When?"
He leaned closer. "At that bar."
I tried to think. He meant T.J.'s of course. The night of my party was mostly a blur. I didn't recall asking him much of anything, except to kiss me, and – . "Oh." I felt a shy smile curve my lips. "Sorry. I guess I was a little drunk, huh?"
His eyes warmed in the firelight. "How about now?"
I hadn't had a single drop of alcohol since my party, and yet, I was having a hard time forming any coherent thoughts. Somehow, I managed to say, "You mean, am I sober?"
Joel shook his head. "No." His gaze dipped to my lips. "I mean, do you still want that kiss?"
I felt myself nod.Did I ever.
Chapter 30
In the soft glow of the firelight, Joel leaned forward, and slowly, seductively, pressed his lips to mine. His lips were warm and soft, and as sweet as I'd imagined.
His hands slid from my arms, up to the back of my neck, and soon, and I felt his fingers sifting through the long tendrils of my hair.
As our lips moved, I let my eyelids flutter shut. Desperate for more, I reached out, wanting to pull him closer. And as I did, my chair toppled, leaving me clutching at his shirt and kissing only air. I fell forward, straight into his arms.
No. Actually, that wasn't quite right. Because now, we were both standing. He'd not only caught me. He'd pulled me to my feet. And I'd barely had time to think.
