Page 14 of Kissing in the Rain
When he finally reached her, he pulled her to him, cupping her bare bottom in one hand. His other hand found her breast and squeezed softly. Then he picked her up, pulling her groin to his as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her as she rocked against him. What he wouldn’t give to be insideher.
But if she wasn’t staying in town, then it was for the best he couldn’t. There was no such thing as sex without strings. Feelings were always in play, and he didn’t want to hurt Jillian or cause a setback on her road to finding love again. Because she would. Some lucky bastard would win her heart one day. Part of him wished he could have a shot at doingthat.
“God, this reminds me of high school,” he groaned. “Doing everythingbut.”
She moaned as he kissed along the curve of her neck. “I didn’t really make out in highschool.”
“What? That’scrazy.”
“I didn’t even get my first kiss until I was seventeen. I was a book nerd,remember?”
He chuckled. “I wish I would’ve been the one to kiss you.” And it’d been all he could do not to kiss her that day when she’d tried on one of Lorelai’s skimpy bikinis and had come into his room and shut the door behind her. She had been bumbling and stuttering, but he’d gotten the message loud and clear. She’d liked him, and even then, he’d liked hertoo.
“I need you in the tent,” he gritted out. “So my hands can be free to touch you. All ofyou.”
“Yes,” she said, not rejecting him this time. Good, because being shot down by her right now just might killhim.
Jillian’s heartlowered a notch with each bump of the boat along the water toward the mainland. The island didn’t have all the luxuries of home, but it did have the luxury of escaping reality for a short time. It was everything she’d been looking for when she’d come to Blushing Bay. An escape that no book or therapist or pill could everoffer.
Her gaze rested on Gabe as he drove. He had on mirrored sunglasses and a ball cap, and a full five-o’clock shadow sexifying his face. Even with only one contact lens in, she could seethat.
The boat slowed as they headed toward the loading dock of the Sawyer Water Recreation and SportsCenter.
“Why so glum?” he asked as he wrapped a rope around one of the pilings. “You are T-minus ten minutes until you have fresh, dryclothes.”
She shifted in her partially dry sundress from last night. “Mmm. That does sound nice.” What didn’t sound nice was saying goodbye to him. They’d bonded over the last twelve hours, and her teenage crush had become somethingdeeper.
He reached a hand to hers. “Maybe next time you come tovisit—”
She shook her head. “We need closure, Gabe. Keeping things open just confuses everything. What if you want to date someone? Or I do? It just gets messy. What happened on the island stays on the island. That’s how it has to be.” She offered a wobbly smile. It was the only reasonable option. Neither of them could move forward unless they said goodbye today. And she needed to moveforward.
“Okay.” He helped her step off the boat and onto the pier, then followed herup.
“You guys made it,” Jonathan said, jogging toward them. “I still have a job,right?”
Gabe chuckled. “For the moment. Thanks for holding down the fort while I wasgone.”
“Your sister has already called three times, dude. You should probably call her before she sends out a searchparty.”
Gabe was amazed Lorelai hadn’t already. “I will. First I need to take this one home.” He wrapped an arm aroundJillian.
“That’s okay. I can drivemyself.”
“You can’t half see, Little Miss ToughGirl.”
She rolled her eyes, secretly loving his nickname for her. “I have glasses in my car.” Wearing glasses always made her feel like that book nerd she’d been inschool.
“Well, I’ll at least walk you to your car.” He took her hand and led her to the parking area. “I probably shouldn’t even kiss you goodbye, right?” he asked as they stood beside her driver’s sidedoor.
She looked up at him and gave her head a slight shake, even as her heart sped up at the prospect. “Probablynot.”
“I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve rejected me in the last few hours, but I think we’re more than evennow.”
She playfully punched his stomach. “Fair isfair.”
Catching her hand and holding it against him, he gave a gentle tug. “Heck, I’m going to take my chances and kiss you anyway,” he said. Then he pulled her in and brushed his mouth to hers in a sweet kiss that melted her knees to butter. “Goodbye,Jillian.”
“Goodbye.” Breathless, rattled, and more than a little confused, she climbed into her car and closed the door. Then she drove away before she could change hermind.
