Page 87 of Kiss the Girl
What I actually did was avoid eye contact with him while I busied myself with screws and hinges.
Finally, when the last latches were secured and the tables were set up and ready, Noah dismissed the boys to go home and get in their costumes.
“Just be back by 5:30,” he told them. That would give them an hour before the moms would descend to start wrangling all the food into a production line. For now, it sat in bins against the back of the booth.
“See you, coach,” they called as they took off.
It was suddenly quiet and only Noah and I were left.
His eyes met mine for the first time since we’d gotten to the town square. Mine wanted to skitter away, but I couldn’t break his gaze. We stared at each other for a few seconds. I was dying inside. For something to say, for him to say something.
His lips parted like he was about to speak, then he hesitated and tilted his head like he was listening. He jerked his head to indicate someone beyond the drop cloths.
“Hey, Taylor,” a voice called.
“That’s Dr. Boone,” Noah said.
“Where can I find the Lincoln High booth?” she asked.
Taylor answered with our location.
“Sounds like she’s headed this way,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do here, and before my brain could hijack me with overthinking, I crossed the booth to Noah and reached out for his front pockets, pulling him against me. “Guess that means it’s show time.”
His eyes flashed with surprise, but he rested his hands on my shoulders and studied me, his gaze intense enough to make everything around us fade away. His gaze darkened immediately, the way it did when he was thinking about kissing me. I was trapped inside of it.
No, not trapped. It was exactly where I wanted to be, and as I watched his head lower the tiniest bit, I didn’t even notice that someone had rustled through the drop cloths until she cleared her throat.
I’d totally forgotten about Dr. Boone in ten seconds flat.
Noah blinked and dropped his hands. I stepped back.
“Hey, Dr. Boone,” he said.
“Sorry to…interrupt.”
“No interruption,” he assured her. I disagreed. “The team moms will be here in about a half-hour to set up the food prep line. Then the boys will be back and ready to cook and serve.”
“You’ve done a good job,” she said. “I can’t wait until the cloths come down so I can see the full effect.”
“It looks good,” I promised her. “Noah got great work out of the team.” No harm in selling her on his merits. That was the whole point, after all.
Her lips gave a small twist that let me know my endorsement wasn’t at all subtle. “I’ll look forward to hearing the sales totals tomorrow,” she said. “Enjoy the lull.”
My cheeks heated, sensing a double meaning in her words as she slipped out.
Noah released a small breath. “She’s always nice, but I don’t know when I’ll stop being intimidated by her. I keep waiting for her to figure out that I’m not old enough to be in the teacher’s lounge.”
“I can imagine. I feel like I’m in high school again every time I set foot on campus.”
He rested his arms on my shoulders and ran his fingers through my ponytail almost absent-mindedly. “What kind of kid were you in high school?”
“The kind who snuck kisses with her boyfriend whenever the principal’s back was turned.” I pulled him down for a kiss, and Dr. Boone might have fired him on the spot if she’d seen it. The heat that simmered between us boiled over the second our lips touched, and he was tasting me like I was better than cream cheese apple hand pies.
“Grace.” He broke away with a soft groan. “There’s no one here to put on a show for.”
