Page 31 of Hearts at Seaside
Footsteps descended the stairs, and Pete knew he should pull away, but Jenna was intoxicating, grabbing his hair, kissing him like he was the very oxygen she needed to survive. He wanted to stay right there, kissing her, loving her.
“What?” Bella’s voice again, coming closer.
Nooooo.
He tore himself from Jenna, leaving her gasping for air, sprawled across the bench. He lifted her to a sitting position and then plopped down beside her, hoping his arousal would somehow magically deflate, and knowing there wasn’t a chance it would.
Bella was looking behind her, up toward the deck. She turned, her eyes darted between them, and worry shifted across her features. “Oh. Shoot.”
There was no way for them to hide the urgency of their need. He was sure it dripped from their pores. Jenna’s hair was a tangled mess, her cheeks were flushed, and he was pretty sure he looked the same. Pete ran his hand through his hair and turned his attention to Jenna. He wasn’t about to try and explain to Bella. She knew exactly what was going on, but he didn’t want Jenna to be embarrassed, and the last thing she needed was for Charlie to find out.Charlie. Pete bit back his distaste that Jenna had come with Charlie and that now he’d have to relinquish her to him again. He ran his fingers through her hair until she looked more kempt, then cupped her cheeks and stared deeply into her eyes.
“Jenna,” he whispered, and rested his forehead against hers.
“Holy moly.” Bella took a step toward the stairs, then turned back.
Pete waited for Jenna to say something, and when she didn’t, he kissed her cheek and took her hand in his. “Go out with me tomorrow?”
She nodded, a slight smile on her lips, and in her eyes was pure, unadulterated desire that snuck inside him and softened his rough edges. Only then did he realize what he’d been too thick to see for all these years. Jenna didn’t need words. She didn’t need to be aggressive like the women he was used to, telling him that she wanted him, staking claim to him in a way that left no doubt. There was more want in her eyes, more real emotion, than any woman had ever verbalized. How could he have been so blind for so long? Jenna was the perfect combination of confidence and sweetness, and tomorrow could not come soon enough.
JENNA FELT LIKE she’d sprouted wings and jumped from the top of a tower. She was soaring, weightless, among the clouds. Pete placed her hand on her thigh and covered it with his own, and then he smiled. Oh, how she loved his smile. His lips. The man could kiss—and hold, and touch, and,Oh gosh. I like you. I like you so darn much.
“Are you okay?” His voice was tender and caring.
She nodded, or at least she thought she did.
“I don’t want you to have trouble with Charlie, so I’m going to go up to the deck, but, Jenna, I need you to know that leaving you is the last thing I want to do.”
“Maybe so, but go. Please go,” Bella urged as she shot another look up the stairs. “You two look like…Forget it. You know what you look like.”
Pete’s eyes never left Jenna. She felt protected and cherished in a way no man had ever made her feel with nothing more than a kiss, a touch, and a thoughtful tone.
“Okay?”
She forced herself to nod. When he rose to his feet, he took her next breath with him and she longed for him to return.
Pete stopped beside Bella. “You know I don’t want to leave her.”
Bella pushed him toward the stairs, her eyes frenzied. “Yes. I know. Now get up there before she gets in trouble.”
He turned back, his eyes locking on Jenna again. Her breath caught in her throat. “I didn’t want to do this when you were here with another guy. I’m sorry, Jenna. It wasn’t my intent to make you uncomfortable.”
“Oh for crying out loud.” Bella rolled her eyes. “She knows. It was passion. You guys couldn’t help it. Whatever.” She gave him a hard shove toward the stairs, and his lips curved into a smile.
“It was so much more.” He shifted his gaze to Bella. “But you can minimize it if it makes you feel better.”
He disappeared up the stairs, and Jenna let out a loud breath. Bella rushed to her side and grabbed her hand.
“Oh my gosh. What happened?” She snapped her fingers in front of Jenna’s face. “Hello? Jenna?” Each word was a harsh whisper, a reminder that Jenna had become unhinged and she needed to fix herself. Now.
Jenna breathed deeply. She trapped her lower lip in her teeth and clenched her eyes shut, wanting to remember every second of being in Pete’s arms: the brush of his stubble against her cheeks, the way he held her tightly, like she was his, the way he kissed—goodness, the way he kissed. She felt as though she might burst. When she opened her eyes, she met Bella’s concerned gaze.
“You know what you said a first kiss should be?” Jenna asked.
“Yes.”
“This was a million times better.”
