His cell ringing interrupts us, and he answers it with a snap. “What?... No… You’re jokin’, right?... No, Hana, if I’ve told you once then I’ve told you a hundred f**kin’ times. There is no us… No, there ain’t… Who gives a crap if I’m seein’ someone else? Did you hear me?... There ain’t an us… I don’t care…”
I turn around and look at him. His hand is covering his face, and he continues to try and convince them there’s nothing between them.
He’s kinda lucky there’s so much between us, or I’d be going all jealous girlfriend.
But that’s not to say I’m not jealous. Because I am. Just a little. She did get to have him – even if it was only a small part – when I didn’t.
Reese turns his head to me, shaking it, and he obviously sees something in my eyes because instead of replying to her shrill shouts, he launches his phone into the middle of the lake.
My mouth drops open. “Did you just-?”
“Hang up on her by throwin’ my phone in the middle of the lake?” He stands with his eyebrows raised. “Yep. Looks like it.”
I look at the lake and back at him. “But. What. Why? I…” I shake my head. “Why?”
“Because she was annoying the shit out of me. She’s been callin’ for three days now, asking me about “the bitch who thinks she can steal me from her.””
“Nice,” I mumble when he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me into him.
“Don’t worry,” he whisper against my ear. “I told her you’re twice the bitch she can ever dream of being.”
A laugh escapes me even as I jab his stomach. “Asshole.”
“What? New York has given you a major bitchy streak. I like it.”
“I think I’m supposed to take that as a compliment.”
“I think that’s how I meant it.”
I poke his sides, and he squirms.
“Kia.” There’s a warning in his voice and it’s oh so tempting. So despite the fact he’s holding onto me, I sneak my fingers below his shirt and tickle his sides.
He shouts out, and I laugh, and he tickles me back. I scream, my knees buckling, and we both fall to the slightly wet dock. I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe as I push at his chest to get him off me.
“Can’t…breathe…” I giggle, shoving at him again.
“You know what happens when you tickle me, damn it, girl!” he responds in his husky laughing voice, slipping to the side and freeing my chest up.
I hold my stomach as I let my laughter peter out, and turn my face to his. “But it’s so damn fun.”
Reese pokes at my stomach, grinning. “The tickling you part is. It’s a great excuse to touch your body.”
“You know, sometimes you can be the cutest guy ever, but others you’re a total pig.”
He grins wider.
“But on that subject, I don’t remember you ever needing a reason to touch my body.” I raise an eyebrow.
“True.” He rolls his body over, putting one hand flat next to my head, his face hovering above mine. “I don’t need a reason, but I like having one.”
“Why?”
“Because if I have a reason to touch you sometimes, then I can touch you more without one. It’s like kissing. I don’t always need a reason, but every time I can get away with a reason, I will.”
I stare into his eyes, and I can feel the warmth in them throughout my whole body. “What if I like it when you kiss me without a reason? Don’t you know the spontaneous, just-because kisses are the best kind of kisses?”
His lips quirk upwards, and he lowers his face. “In that case…” He moves closer until not even air can pass between our lips. “…Just because.”
Warm softness presses against my mouth. My hand immediately reaches up and my fingers thread through his hair, holding him against me gently. His tongue flicks against the seam of my lips, pushing them open with the barest touch. My body arches into him as his tongue plays with mine teasingly. This kiss is in no way erotic or promising of a night together, but each tender sweep of his lips over mine resonates love and hope throughout my body.
“Trust me,” he whispers against me, kissing me again. “Don’t worry…” Kiss. “…About New York…” Kiss. “…I will be there. I promise.” Kiss. “Just trust me.”
“I do,” I whisper back. “I just don’t want to leave you.”
He sweeps his mouth across mine once more and leans our foreheads together. “You’re not leavin’ me, baby. Not entirely, anyway.”
“I am, though.”
“Kia, it doesn’t matter where you go, who you’re with, or what you’re doing. You’ll never leave me behind entirely, because you’ll always have my heart with you. You don’t get a love like ours and get to leave it behind. It doesn’t matter where we are, or how many miles are between us. Our love will always be there.”
“How do you know?”
He pulls back, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and cups my cheek with his hand. “We’re still here, aren’t we?”
My own lips curve into a smile and I turn my face into his hand, closing my eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess we are.”
CHAPTER 16
“What if I wanted to stay in tonight?” I grumble, getting into the truck.
“You didn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“You wouldn’t have agreed to come out.”
I sigh. “I didn’t agree to go out. I agreed to spend the night with you, Reese. Not go out to God knows where.”
“Rock’s,” he replies.
“Why are we going to Rock’s? It’s a Tuesday night.”
“Bonfire.” He grins over at me. “Which means…”
“You get to burn marshmallows again?”
“Only if I can smear them over you.”
I blush at the memory from last summer. “No. That was one of those random moments that wouldn’t be half as good if we tried it again.”
He stops at the lights and turns to me, raking his eyes across my eyes. I squirm a little in my seat.
“You’re right. It wouldn’t be as good. It’d be so much better.”
I swat his leg. “Is that all you think about?”
“Maybe. Sometimes. When you wear shorts like that. Yes.”