Page 91 of Coveted Justice

Josh gathered up the cardboard cake board and the forks, tossing them into a garbage bag that he tucked in the back of the truck cab. He brought out two bottles of water, handing one to her.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty after all of that chocolate.”

She accepted it gratefully twisting off the cap and taking a drink before setting it next to her. Josh sat on her other side, and she could feel the warmth of his body so close to hers. She shivered in response when his arm brushed against hers.

“Are you cold?” he asked, reaching across her to tuck the blanket under her legs. “We can sit in the truck if you are.”

“I’m not,” she said. “It’s really lovely out here tonight. This was a good idea. I wasn’t ready to go home yet.”

“Me neither.”

They didn’t speak much for the next few minutes, simply content to listen to the sounds of nature. Josh placed his hand on top of hers and she laced their fingers together. A sigh of happiness escaped her lips.

“Are you getting bored?”

“No,” she replied with a definite shake of her head. “Not at all. I’m simply…peaceful here. It’s like we’re the only two people left on earth.”

“I think so, too.”

He’d turned his body toward her, their gazes meeting even in the dim light. He was biting his lip, a worried expression on his face.

“Listen…Amanda…shit. I don’t know how to say this.” He slapped at his forehead with the palm of his free hand. “I’m an idiot.”

“I don’t think you’re an idiot.”

“I’m definitely an idiot,” he groaned. “I’ve been trying to make an opening to kiss you, but I’ve failed spectacularly.”

He hadn’t. She had simply been too nervous herself to realize it. It was nice to know that he wasn’t as calm as he’d appeared.

“You don’t need an opening,” she whispered, leaning close to him, their mouths mere inches from one another. “You can just kiss me.”

He touched his lips to hers and she could have sworn she saw fireworks in the dark night sky. Multi-colored bottle rockets and splashy fountains of light, the kind that her dad had set off at the end of the driveway on the Fourth of July after their yearly barbecue.

His fingers tangled in her hair and their breathing became labored and ragged. Her hands ran up and down his muscled back in an attempt to get closer to him. As close as she could get.

Somehow they ended up lying down in the truck bed, their bodies pressed together. She could feel the heavy beat of his heart in rhythm with her own, the rush of blood in her ears with every thud.

He pulled back for a moment, his gaze searching her own.

“I really like you, Amanda.”

“I really like you, too.”

They both sounded breathless as if they’d just run a marathon.

“No, I mean I really like you. A lot.”

He looked scared but he didn’t need to be.

“That’s what I mean, too.”

His smile widened and he brushed her lips with his own in a barely-there butterfly kiss that had her toes curling.

“You know, our parents are going to act like they planned all of this,” he said with a laugh. “Everyone is going to say that they saw it coming the whole time.”

“When we didn’t know until a few days ago,” she replied. She could feel herself smiling as well. She was happy, and she didn’t want to hide it. “But you’re right. They’ll try and take credit for it.”

“I say that we let them. We’ll know what really happened.”

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