She cocked her head to the side, bit her lip again. “The other day, I thought that was a euphemism.”
I tilted my head back and laughed. This woman… fuck, I was in trouble.
“Sugar, you won’t have to wonder if I’m taking you to my bed.” I let my gaze rake over every inch of her. “You’ll know. And you’ll want it too.”
KELSEY
An hour later, we were sitting on the open tailgate of Sawyer’s pickup truck in the parking lot of Frosty Frills, the town’s ice cream stand. He’d gotten me a chocolate and vanilla swirl soft-serve cone and a vanilla one for himself. I swung my feet back and forth and enjoyed the simple pleasure of a summer night and a cool treat.
I’d been pinching my pennies so hard these days—ramen noodles and cheap microwavable entrees were my staples—that the ice cream was so good. Since there was a hot guy included, it was even better. This one though, I wasn’t sure why. Why did he drive me crazy and make me want to kiss him some more all at the same time?
He’d actually driven me around town, pointing out the sights, which weren’t many. The high school. Library. Town hall. While he was confident enough to have flung me over his shoulder in an auditorium full of women, it seemed he didn’t quite know what to do with me. I loved that he’d pointed out the post office on our drive, but… yeah. A little odd. Especially since every one of those places had a sign out front, and I hadn’t needed a tour guide for any of them.
I was sure he knew that. I was sure he knew that I knew that. It was a good thing there wasn’t a quiz when we’d parked for ice cream because my thoughts had been toggling between That kiss! and He’s not married!
Maybe his brain cells had been fried and a drive-around was all he’d been able to do. Maybe he was as nice as Irene had said, and a tour of town was a date for him. The chemistry though, the undeniable sizzle in the cab of his truck, had been hard to miss. It was that… tension that made a really average tour of The Bend foreplay.
Although that meant we were going to have sex next… oh my God. My pussy was thinking for me, as he’d said. That kiss had been a warm-up, a taste of what it would be like between us if we did more. Hell, not a warm-up. I’d been warmed up ever since I saw him at the playground. The way he’d carried me out of the community center had made my nipples instantly hard, and my panties were ruined. Ruined.
Not that I was going to tell him that. I didn’t need to be rescued, and clearly, he was the kind of guy who did that being a fireman and all. Rescuing people was in his job description.
I was still hot from it, and the ice cream wasn’t doing anything to cool me off. Watching Sawyer lick a cone had me wondering how dexterous his tongue was at other tasks. Even more foreplay.
It had been a while for me. I wasn’t going to think back to being with Tom, the asshole, but I could compare. I got more out of the kiss with Sawyer than I had the entire time I’d been with Tom.
“I like your truck,” I said, patting the open tailgate.
“Thanks. It was my mom’s. The other day you said you moved here from Colorado,” he said, making small talk. His jeans stretched taut over his thighs, and since he was so tall, his work boots almost touched the pavement. It wasn’t that he was so big, it was that I felt so small, so feminine sitting next to him.
“Yup,” I replied.
With him sitting this close, it was hard not to study him. The dark hair, the slight crook to his nose. The full lips that I remembered the feel of against mine. He must’ve shaved before the auction because there wasn’t a hint of scruff. His square jaw was very distracting. Even the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed was attractive.
“I… well, I followed a guy up here. That didn’t work out.”
“You sure it didn’t work out for the best?” he asked.
I couldn’t help but frown as I remembered standing on Tom’s doorstep to surprise him only to have it opened by an eight year old who’d called for Daddy. I’d realized then and there I had behaved just like my mother. Unlike her, I didn’t break up families. I never wanted to be the other woman.
“I’m very sure,” I replied, frowning.
“It got you here with me. I’d say it worked out just fine.”
My gaze whipped up to his, and I had no idea how to respond. He just gave his cone a lick, which had me staring.
“Have you always wanted to work with kids?” Huh? The guy was giving me conversational whiplash.
I took a second then cleared my throat. “Always. I got my degree in early childhood education and like working with the little ones the best.” I couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re good with them.”
I felt warm beneath his praise, and I shyly tucked my hair back behind my ear. “I love it. The excitement and curiosity. They’re always eager to just… be happy.”
“You aren’t?” Cocking his head, he studied me. I was amazed how that hat of his stayed on, as if it was a part of him.
I shrugged. “Life’s not always easy.”
There was no way I was telling this guy all my issues. He’d be running away if he knew just how stupid I’d been and how much I’d lost. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him my troubles, so he’d help me out. I just needed a few more paychecks, and I’d be able to get the little efficiency apartment in the four-plex near the bowling alley. I’d gotten myself into a mess, and I was going to get myself out of it. On my own.
I’d be back on my feet after falling hard. That wasn’t the right term. I’d tripped and skidded across asphalt face first.
He nodded, as if filing my answer away. “Just so you know, this isn’t our auction date.”
“No?”
“I haven’t taken a girl here for a date since I was sixteen. I’ve upped my game since then.”
I guessed he was in his early thirties. I wasn’t going to think of all the women he’d been with since high school. “No doubt.” I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin, unsure if it was ice cream or drool I was blotting because he’d definitely aged well. I could only imagine how many hearts he’d crushed back in the day when he’d had a cute baby face. “I’m… um, sorry about kneeing you.”
This time when I said it, I really meant it. He was a nice guy. He made me crazy, thus the ball kneeing.
He turned to face me, his thigh now nudging mine. “I understand why you did it. While my balls don’t agree, I like that you stood up for yourself. I will say this, for the sake of the chance of future children, you got a question… ask. I’ll tell you the truth.”
God, he was nice. And that was scarier than the possibility of him being married. I didn’t understand nice.
“Okay,” I whispered. What else was there to say?
“I guess there’s a story behind your reaction.”
The ice cream soured on my tongue. “As I told you, I don’t like cheaters. Married cheaters,” I clarified, as if there were two different levels of being a dick.
We were quiet for a minute, and Sawyer had begun to take bites out of his cone.
“If getting ice cream isn’t our date then what is?” I asked.