Page 45 of Scoop Me Up
“About a month, give or take.”
I hesitated. It would only take a month? “That’s amazing. But it seems fast.”
“The soon-to-be owner is very motivated to get you into the building.”
With a frown, I tilted my head to the side. “A new owner?”
Miles gave me a quick nod. “We managed to find a buyer quickly. Don’t worry, your lease comes as a part of their purchase. You’ll be set for at least the next two years.”
I grinned, trying to suppress my nerves and excitement. I took a slow breath before speaking. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
Less than an hour later, the lease was signed and I’d made plans to meet with the project foreman the following weekend. If everything went well, I’d be opening my ice cream shop near the end of August, just in time for the Great Maple Cook-Off, which took place in late August. It was a big festival, drawing people from all over to participate in the cooking competition, entering in a variety of categories. And they’d all be able to visitmyice cream shop. It wasn’t ideal to be opening an ice cream shop at the end of summer, but I knew that Maplewood wouldn’t let me down—they’d support me in any way possible, and if I could just come up with a few non-ice cream offerings, I’d be able to draw in business all winter, too.
Everything was coming together—quickly. I just had one major hurdle to clear… letting the principal know I wouldn’t be returning to school in the fall. I had to do that sooner rather than later, before he found out on his own.
I also had to find a way to cohabitate with Gabe for several more weeks without overcomplicating things. Easier said than done.
When I was done at Miles’s house, I knew my time had run out and I needed to head home to face Gabe.
I found Gabe in the kitchen again, parked in front of his laptop, the memory of the previous day flooding back to me. He glanced at me and then back at his screen before closing thelaptop entirely. “You’re home,” he said softly. “I’m sorry I missed you last night.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded and put down my school bag. “We should talk about this. Like adults. But… not here.” I didn’t know if I’d be able to get through the conversation with the memory of the kiss we’d shared lingering over me in that room.
Gabe stood and followed me to the living room, where we sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing each other. “Can I go first?” When I nodded and gestured for him to keep speaking, he continued. “I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know where it came from. But what I do know is, I don’t want to stop. I want to kiss you again.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but his directness and assertion that he wanted to keep going caught me off guard. “I want to kiss you again, too.” I gripped the couch cushion behind me with one hand. “But… we’re living together, at least temporarily. We have to be careful. Besides that, you’re leaving soon. I don’t want to get things too tangled up.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I get that. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But… I don’t want to hide from it. I want to take the time to figure it out.” He shifted, and as he did, his knee pressed against mine. My breath hitched and my heart rate picked up. Neither of us moved away.
The idea of taking some time to figure it out sent a thrill through me. We had weeks—several long weeks of cohabitating to figure out what we both wanted—or didn’t want. “Maybe we should set some ground rules,” I suggested.
He smirked. “Rules? Like ‘no kissing in the kitchen’? Asking for a friend.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was thinking more like, no making anything public. No making any major decisions based on one another. And if things go south, no hard feelings.”
He nodded immediately. “Of course.”
“And maybe no alcohol-fueled choices.”
He leaned in. “It wasn’t alcohol that made me want to kiss you. I think I've wanted it since we met. Alcohol just made it easier for me to take action. I knew exactly what I was doing.”
My breath hitched, chest squeezing. “Really?”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I wouldn’t lie.”
“I’ve wanted to since we met, too. I just didn’t think it was possible.”
The air was thick with tension. Gabe’s tongue darted out as he licked his lips slightly. “Turns out, it was.” A silent moment passed between us. “Now what?”
“I don’t know.”
When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “Can I kiss you again?” I nodded, and the moment I did, Gabe surged forward, crowding into my space until we were touching. I yielded, dropping back against the arm of the couch. One of his hands moved to the back of my neck, pulling me in. I let my knees fall apart and Gabe slotted one of his between my thighs.
When our lips met, my thoughts stuttered to a stop, my brain unable to comprehend anything besides Gabe’s body on mine, the fireworks exploding inside me, the butterflies in my stomach. I inhaled deeply, breathing in his soft scent.
I couldn’t stop the noises that came from me, the soft moans slipping from my throat, as I moved my hands to his lower back, easing my fingers up until I reached soft bare skin. Gabe groaned and rocked down, pressing his body against mine as if he couldn’t get enough.
He broke the kiss, moving his lips to my jaw and to the sensitive spot below, causing me to shiver and moan louder, my breath catching in my throat. Gabe scraped his teeth along my skin and I wanted more. I dug my fingers into the tight muscles of his back, pinning him against me.
