Page 15 of Reckless Chances
Freddie and Ethan disappeared into the woodshed. “Do you think it’s safe for either of those guys to be operating a chainsaw right now?”
Freddie’s saw had been busted for a couple of weeks. It needed parts, not a drunk mechanic. “There’s no way those guys are getting that thing started tonight,” he laughed.
The fire had was dying down to embers and the rest of the partygoers had either left or were inside the house. Then, it was just the two of them.
“Sorry about Ethan,” Charlie said.
“Oh,” she waved her hand. “That’s okay. But I wonder why he thought I was married.” She rubbed at the ring finger of her left hand.
“Gossip. Chance Rapids is the worst.”
Emma shook her head. “And it’s not even true.”
“It rarely is.”
“Ethan is a good kid. He just needs to lay off the whiskey and stick to beer.”
Emma smiled. “He seemed okay.” She clearly hadn’t picked up on the male posturing and how close he had come to breaking his fist into Ethan’s face. “And I don’t. she added quickly.
“Don’t what?” Charlie was confused at the change in the tone of her voice. It was softer, as though she were revealing a secret.
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Whether it was the beer, the stars, the light of the dwindling fire, orNo Woman No Cry, Charlie’s body seemed to take over – his mind was in the back seat as he stood, rested his hands on the arms of Emma’s chair and kissed her. He didn’t hesitate. There was no lingering should I, will she, is this a bad idea. No, as his lips met hers, she whimpered. His heart hammered in his ears as she dropped the bottle she was holding. on to the grass to lace her fingers behind his neck.
Her breaths were coming hard and fast and the gentleness of the kiss quickly progressed into something else. They kissed like it was urgent, like they were animals who had been caged, now freshly released into the wild. He ran his hands over hers, pulling them from his neck so he could draw her to her feet. She fell into him, her warmth meeting his, and this time it was her lips that sought out his. He cupped her cheeks and she clasped her hands behind his waist. It felt like both like a first kiss, and a kiss shared between lovers who had known each other for years. Exciting and new, but comfortable and perfect. She squeezed him tightly as their lips explored each other’s, and he knew that she would feel the raging hard-on that was quite uncomfortably pressing against his jeans, testing the strength of the zipper. Instead of stopping, she pressed into him, and he almost lost control with the added pressure.
She drew her face back, but kept her grip on his hips tightly, pulling his body even tighter against hers.
“Charlie,” she whispered. Her breath warm on his ear, “I forgot to buy bear spray.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows and rubbed his thumb on her cheek. Was she asking what he thought she was asking?
“Will you walk me home?” she continued.
Yes. Yes, she was. “Hell, yeah,” Charlie growled, knowing he could keep her safe from wildlife, but wondered how he was going to control in the wild animal inside of him.
