Page 39 of Small Town Frenzy
He spreads his legs farther apart as his boots loop with the metal base of the chair to slide me even closer. Leaning forward, he whispers, “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
I gulp.So embarrassing.I blush for different reasons now but he’s quick to caress my cheek and soothe it away, replacing it with comfort from the warmth of his hand. I take a quick breath, and whisper, “Same. I’ve been thinking about you since you dropped me off last night.”
“What do you say we do something about it? I know a little swimming hole not too far from here?—”
“I can’t,” I say, starting to think whatever this is between us is more real than I first imagined. Last night I was saying yes to anything he asked because I was right there with him. But it’s not smart for me to act like I don’t have responsibilities when I do. Jacob being the main one. As much as I want to toss my work aside and run off with him for a few hours, I know I can’t. It’s not my job either. It’s the secret I’m keeping from him. It’s time for me to face my fears and make a decision. I’m either going to tell him or not, and I know the answer, even if I’m not ready to fully admit it yet. “I’m sorry.” I look around as if that’s enough for him to know what I’m thinking. “We have more to move, and it must be done today. And then later?—”
“Later? I could stay and help you and make later come a lot sooner.” The gleam in his eyes makes me want to say yes to him so badly.
I don’t want to disappoint him or myself. This is fun, carefree, and lacks the heaviness that so much of my lifecontains. But I look away, knowing there’s a secret that could make it, if looking on the bright side, or ruin everything, if it heads downhill after being revealed.
I’ve made no plans with Judy to work late either, so she and Jacob will be expecting me at the house just after five. I check the time on my watch, and it’s just gone one. Lowering my gaze to the floor between us, I shake my head. “I can’t. Not today.”
He lifts my chin with the tip of two of his fingers. When our eyes meet, he says, “It’s okay. Don’t feel bad. I know you’re busy, so we can see each other another time.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Hopefully soon, though.”
Dread drops like a rock into the pit of my stomach. What are we doing? I’m on top of the world with him, and then reality sets in again to remind me that he doesn’t even live here. “Promise before you leave?”
His head juts back, but he chuckles, and the lines crease between his brows. “Who said anything about leaving?”
My head’s a mess with the right path to take. What’s best for Jacob is not the same as what’s best for me in this situation. And what’s best for me is nowhere close to what’s best for Griffin. God, what a tangled web we weave. “I’m sorry.” I start to backtrack, not wanting to mess this up any more than I already have. “Truth?”
His hand finds my knee and rubs gently. “Always.”
“This is happening fast.” I should be allowed to be deliriously happy for more than one night. The man just showed up because he missed me, and I’m saddled with a secret that feels like I’m turning it into a lie by omission. I’m not sure what I did wrong in a past life, but it’s quite a punishment I’ve been dealt in this one. “It was unexpected. Getting real honest here, but I didn’t even like you a few days ago. It’s a fast transition on the emotions.”
A smirk pops onto his face like I summoned it with a spell. “Look how far we’ve come in such a short time.”
“From you drenching me with a puddle to saving me from certain death by loveseat.”
“Not all heroes wear capes.”
“Nope.” I eye him . . . fine, I ogle him. Again. “Sometimes they wear white tees.”
He’s still smiling, but it fades when he tilts his head in curiosity, and asks, “What do you mean?”
“What?”
With his brows tugged together even tighter, he narrows his eyes at me. “What do you mean I drenched you with a puddle? I didn’t do that.”
“Yes, you did. You and that big truck of yours soaked me to the bone.” Since he’s still staring at me like I’ve presented a riddle he can’t figure out, I add, “I didn’t take photos or anything as evidence. But there’s no mistaking that you hit that dip in the concrete just right to make sure you covered me.” His silence is unnerving, so I start to overcompensate. “You know that giant puddle when you exit the tunnel at the stadium? You made sure to hit it, but my point is, I forgave you for that even without an apology.”
With his mouth now draped open, I start to wonder if I’ve grown a third eye by how he’s staring at me. “I would have never done that on purpose, Cricket.” He sits a little straighter. “If I did that, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Not if you did it. It did happen, but I thought?—”
“You thought I was such an asshole that I would splash you on purpose?” Shock infiltrates his expression from the wide eyes to the mouth still hanging wide open. “No wonder you hated me.” He takes hold of my hands, turning them over so my palm is up and cradled by his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it intentionally. I hope you can forgive me.”
He pulls me gently, encouraging me forward. As soon as I stand, he guides me to his lap. I shouldn’t like this as much as I do, but why are these simple gestures so sweet and attractive? The apology doesn’t hurt either. “You didn’t know? I could have sworn you saw me standing there and aimed.”
“What kind of person would do that?” Running his fingers through his hair, he says, “I feel like a piece of shit not only for drenching you but that you thought I’m the kind of man who would knowingly do that to you. I’ve left quite the impression.”
“Griffin?”
When he looks at me, genuine anguish is written in his eyes, darkened pupils with deep-set emotion weighing on his brow. I run the tips of my fingers over the edge of his jaw and lean down to kiss him. I don’t want him feeling less or horrible for an accident that I mistook as a cruel act. He’s right. Now that I’m getting to know him better, he wouldn’t have done that. That alone shows how far we’ve come and so quickly.
The pressure is light at first, but I deepen it. His hands slide around my waist, and then his arms wrap around my body, holding me close. Just like last night, I could get lost in him if I let myself, but this isn’t the time or place, so I reluctantly pull back. When our lips part, I slowly open my eyes again. “I’m free tonight.”
“I thought?—”
