Page 53 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
“Something like that.” There’s amusement in his voice, but he’s lowered it, dropped it to a silky almost-whisper.
“We’re not in public,” I remind him when he brushes his lips against my jaw. It’s my last noble effort to keep things simple.
“No, we’re not.”
“I thought we weren’t going to?—”
“I changed my mind.”
“Okay?” Oddly it comes out like a question.
“Okay?” he chuckles under his breath. “What does that?—”
“Kiss me already.”
His eyes lock with mine, and time stands still. Then, waking from the trance, Landon’s hands fly to the sides of my waist, and he pulls me to him. Our mouths meet in a kiss that neither of us can pretend has anything to do with us practicing our chemistry or furthering the cause of our ruse. I let my hands drift to his chest…which is a bad idea considering he’s still rather shirtless.
You have five more seconds,that little voice says, though even it’s losing intensity. Landon doesn’t hesitate this time, and to my surprise, neither do I. I pour myself into the kiss—hold nothing back, and he meets me.
I lean against the counter, accidentally knocking a cup into the sink, making a dreadful racket. We abruptly break apart and blink at each other, both of us out of breath and slightly dazed. Suddenly, I realize how quiet it is. The grandfather clock in the living room ticks with each passing second, and the sound becomes deafening.
Landon’s eyes search mine, and his fingers tighten on my sides. I gulp. We’ve crossed a line—a very serious line. And I want to do it again. In fact, I want to erase the line, scratch it out, wash it away and pretend we never created it.
His chest moves with each labored breath, betraying the fact that he’s as shaken as I am. “Are we?—”
Before he can finish, I stand on my toes and wrap my hand around the back of his neck, dragging his lips down to mine. He chuckles darkly, a sound that makes my knees wobble, and meets me with fervor.
And then the front door opens.
“Lacey,” Mom calls. “Are you home? We’re back.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
We rip apart,eyes wide, staring at each other for several incredulous seconds before Landon leaps back and jumps for the sink. He’s innocently washing out his shirt when Mom and Mark walk into the kitchen.
Mom’s eyebrows jump when she sees Landon shirtless, but I lounge against the counter like it’s no big thing.
“McKenna accidentally dumped an entire cake on him,” I explain, the picture of nonchalance. “I told him he could use our washer so the stain doesn’t set.”
Mark gives me a look that says he’s onto us, but Mom’s face softens.
“Oh, of course,” she says as she boots Landon out of the way. “Here. Let me take care of it for you. Lacey was such a mess when she was younger. I can get out just about any stain you put in front of me.”
Usually, I’d be irritated with her blabbing that kind of information, but now I’m so relieved, I only pretend to look embarrassed.
“Thanks, Mrs. Mo—” he cuts off when he sees the look on her face. “Cassie.”
“It’s no problem. You’ll probably want to head back to your site before it gets too chilly. If you wait, you’ll freeze.”
If Landon’s half as warm as I am, he’ll be fine.
“I thought you were going to a movie,” I say absently.
“Nothing was playing.” Mark pulls out a chair at the table. He’s still watching the two of us with suspicious eyes.
“That’s too bad,” I murmur, and I mean it with all my heart. Then I say to Mom, “I’m going to walk back with Landon.”
“That’s fine.” Mom glances over her shoulder at my fake-but-starting-to-seem-real boyfriend. “Will you ask your mom if she wants to come over for coffee tomorrow morning before we go into town?”
