Page 73 of Hit the Ground
I hadn’t made out with a man since college, and that had been nothing likethis. Unhurried and curious, learning each other, swallowing the sounds we elicited, petting and stroking the slips of bare skin we could reach.
We only broke apart when the audience exploded into applause at the end of the band’s set. My eyes fluttered open, meeting his heavy-lidded gaze, and I laughed.
“I forgot where we were.”
His swollen lips curled into a smile. “Can’t say I much care where we are.”
I dragged my fingers along his jaw. “We should probably go now that we’ve scandalized everyone here.”
That earned me a low laugh. “I don’t much care what anyone else thinks either, but I hear you. I don’t want the night to end, but we both have to get up early.”
“We do. You earlier than me. I still have time to stare at the ceiling, replaying every single second of the night before I have to go to sleep.”
He dropped his forehead to mine and groaned. “You are so damn sweet.”
“Should I be a little coy? Maybe keep my cards closer to my vest?”
“Absolutely not,” he gruffed, like the idea made him mad. “Don’t change a thing about yourself. Besides, I’m going to be replaying tonight too. All of it.”
Oh, I’d have those words on repeat for a long time to come. They felt so good, they almost hurt. I’d waited a long time for this man, and he was proving he had been worth every second.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Caleb
Normally,Ihadallthe time in the world for my boy. But I was sitting outside Alice’s house, where she was making dinner for us, and he wouldn’t stop talking so I could hang up and get in there.
Still, I didn’t rush him. I missed him when he was with his mom, and I would never take for granted that he was thirteen and still liked talking to me, even when we were apart.
“What are you eating for dinner tonight?” he asked.
“Don’t know. Alice is whipping something up for us.”
“Wow. You didn’t screw things up and she agreed to a second date?”
I snorted a laugh. “That’s right. Maybe I’m a little more charming than you thought.”
“Yeah, maybe. I mean, I’ve never seen it, but anything’s possible.”
“Thanks, kid. This is exactly the pep talk I needed right before walking into her house.”
He gasped. “You’re at her house and didn’t say anything? Get in there. You can’t be late. She might not let you in. Well…Aliceis nice and would probably let you in anyway, but she could turn down another date because of your time management issues. So—”
“Jess,” I interjected. “Do you think your speech is helping my timeliness or confidence?”
Laughing, he stopped. “No, I guess not. Quit talking to me and get in there.”
Alice was waiting at her open door by the time I made it up her porch. Her feet were bare and stacked on top of one another. Her dress skimmed her curves, stopping midcalf. She looked casual and beautiful, even with her arms crossed and the little crease between her brows.
“Is Jesse okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine.” I glanced back at my truck then at her. “How’d you know I was talking to him?”
“I was guessing. You get this look on your face when you’re together, like you’re simultaneously perplexed and so proud you could burst. You had that face in your truck, so I put two and two together.”
I liked that she’d noticed that. And she was dead-on about how my kid made me feel.
My hand on her stomach, I pushed her out of the doorway and stepped inside, kicking the door closed behind me. She bit her bottom lip, and I slid my arm around her waist before slipping it lower, beneath her bottom, and lifting her.
