Page 38 of If the Summer Lasted Forever
Slowly, I look up. Our eyes meet, and my stomach tightens. “I think so.”
His expression is enigmatic in the dark—I have no idea what he’s thinking, but I know what I’mfeeling. There’s an invisible cord between us, drawing us together.
He waits another moment before he says, “Maybe we should practice.”
I think he means to say the words playfully, but there’s a dark catch in his voice that tunnels under my defenses. It makes meforget all the sound reasons why I stay away from summer boys, especially ones as tempting as Landon.
“Probably,” I find myself answering, even though a tiny, still-sane part of my brain screams warnings at me, desperately hoping I’ll listen.
But I push those warnings away, smother them while dwelling on sensations instead—the feel of the cold mountain air surrounding us, the flickering firelight, the fresh scent of Landon’s cotton shirt blending with the smell of the straw.
“For the sake of credibility,” he murmurs. We’re close enough his words tickle my lips.
Fully distracted by his mouth, I nod. “Absolutely.”
We wait for the other to change their mind, to back down from the unspoken dare. So much more in tune with my senses in the dark, I can feel my heartbeat, hear each breath Landon takes.
Several moments go by, then a few more.
And then, when I think I will simply die if he changes his mind, he wraps a warm hand around the back of my neck, and our mouths meet.
It’s a testing kiss, the tentative kind that starts slow but builds until it takes your breath away and makes you forget your own name. Landon’s lips are firm, soft,perfect.I angle toward him, tossing my leg over the straw bale to straddle it and reach him better. His hands settle at my waist, a warm contrast to the cool night, and he pulls me closer still.
For several moments, I forget that we’re pretending—I forget about Thomas and Gia and worrying over Paige. There’s nothing but Landon and the dusky light.
Only voices from below could interrupt the single-minded bliss that is kissing Landon. The two of us freeze, lips only a breath apart, listening. His spearmint-scented breath fills thespace between us, and I want nothing more than to meet him once again.
But there’s an abrupt giggle and the sound of shuffling as someone—or maybe twosomeones—climb the ladder.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I seta single finger over Landon’s lips, alerting him to be quiet, and then I take his hand and creep from the bale, farther into the darkened corner. There’s more straw here, stacked up three high, but next to the wall, there’s a gap with just enough room for two people to sit in reasonable comfort.
Gia’s whispered voice fills the hayloft, and then Thomas’s joins her. I tense, and the warm, languid feeling fades and is replaced with dead, impartial irritation.
“He’s doing it on purpose to get a rise out of you,” Landon whispers, his lips next to my ear so Gia and Thomas won’t overhear. Then he wraps his arms around my middle and tugs my back against his chest, holding me tightly. The move is comforting. The spark between us has faded to a companionable simmer. “Ignore them. We’ll sneak out as soon as we can.”
I close my eyes and lean into him, trying to pretend we’re alone again.
Suddenly, the music comes to an abrupt stop. I hear several raised voices, one of which I’m positive is Misty’s.
“What’s going on out there?” I hear Gia ask Thomas. He’s just answering when the overhead lights flip on, washing the barn in a harsh fluorescent glow.
I shrink further into our straw-bale-surrounded cubby. Beside me, Landon does the same. We’re mostly hidden, even in the light, but we don’t dare move.
The old ladder creaks and groans as Misty climbs up it, muttering under her breath.
“Gia,” she says, her voice hard. I can almost picture her with her hands on her hips and a hard scowl on her softly wrinkled face. “Just what do you think the two of you are doing up here in the dark?”
Gia, obviously nervous, lets out a sharp giggle.
“Go on,” Misty says. “Party’s over.”
Landon and I stay still and hidden as the three leave the hayloft. Their footsteps echo as they walk across the wooden floor below, and then it’s silent.
“We should probably get going too,” Landon says, inadvertently whispering the words across the back of my neck.
I shiver. “Yeah.”
