Page 12 of Sweet Rivals

“Spooky,” he said with a grin.

“Not sure what you were expecting.”

“Did you bring me back here to murder me?”

“Thinking about it,” I said.

I climbed onto the gazebo. It was a very pretty courtyard and relatively quiet compared to the street. We could just hear the stands of the cover band. I looked up at the stars as “Wouldn’t it be Nice” by The Beach Boys played. Had I been here with anyone else, it might be romantic. My heart felt heavy at the thought. No one I had ever been romantic with had ever stuck around. It was hard to hold out hope or not let the bitterness creep in.

I looked down from the stars when I felt the heat from his body. As I looked up at the sky, he had moved closer. Really close. Too close. I craned my neck to get a good look at his face and to figure out why the hell he had invaded my personal bubble. He was taller than I thought. My eyes landed directly on his broad chest if I looked straight ahead.

“Jenna,” he said in a rough voice that sent all kinds of sensations through my body.

Once again, all thoughts left my brain. I licked my suddenly dry lips. What was happening? Why was he so close? Why did I feel the warmth of his body like electricity all over my skin?

“What?” I was caught in his eyes, unable to move or think or breath. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind a voice screamed that he was a vacationer. He would be gone before I could blink, and even if he stayed, he stood for everything I despised. But the voice was too quiet and the beat of my heart too damn loud.

“Thanks for giving me a tour,” he said, and I felt his hand slide around my waist, fingers brushing across my hip.

I swallowed, my lips parting slightly as his eyes dipped from my gaze, landing briefly on my mouth. What was he doing? His firm grip just above my ass pulled me close until we pressed together. My rapid breath barely filled my lungs as he bent forward and pressed his lips against mine without breaking the contact our bodies made. I had to lean backward as he held my body in place. His tongue darted between my lips momentarily before he pulled away and stood me upright. I tried to catch my breath as he ran his fingers through his hair and turned toward the alley we had come from.

“Jenna! I’ve been looking for you,” Cat’s voice tunneled through my brain fog.

“What?” I asked, turning to where she stood by the graveyard, camera already up. Then Jared’s arm was around me again, and he was smiling that camera-ready smile while all I could do was play catch up.

Cat’s camera flashed.

“Jenna, are you going to introduce me to your friend,” she waggled her eyebrows at the word friend even though she knew full well that I had sworn off vacationers.

I wouldn’t accept the blame for the kiss that just happened. I was ambushed. Although that didn’t explain why it had such an effect on me. Well, it didn’t matter. I planned on repressing that thought until it no longer existed.

“Jared Wallace,” he said, closing the distance and holding out his hand.

“Oh, like THE Wallaces? Cool. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Cat, the local photographer,” she said, shaking his hand.

I watched the interaction in a still stunned silence, just coming to the realization that Jared Wallace had kissed me. Now that it was over and the feel of his lips faded, I didn’t know what to make of it. Did he just look for a hook-up everywhere he went?

Suddenly, my thoughts flew to PotatoBake888. What would I tell him? We weren’t dating. I didn’t owe him anything. And still, it felt strangely like a betrayal. Maybe because I was harboring feelings that I refused to acknowledge. Either way, I had to get the hell out of there.

TheBakingChick: You will never believe my night!!!

My fingers were shaking as I typed in a new chat window as soon as I got home.

I hadn’t had time to discuss the kiss with Cat. After taking my picture without Jared, she asked if I would be by the booth for some staged shots of food service. I told her I’d head over there right away. It was the perfect excuse to rush away from him. I had no interest in either discussing what had just happened or going any further, and in truth, I didn’t trust myself not to.

With Cat so busy and so focused on her own relationship, PotatoBake888 had become my person to talk to, anyway. I don’t know what he was like in real life, but through the screen he was attentive, funny, kind, and interested. If anyone would listen to me vent about Jared Wallace, it was him.

PotatoBake888: Was it everything you ever dreamed of in a lobster-filled food fest?

TheBakingChick: I was ambushed. My mother sacrificed me to the altar of celebrity, and I had to spend the night with a Wallace!!!

PotatoBake888: Was he as charming as they say?

TheBakingChick: He was exactly as I expected, arrogant, smarmy, pushy, and full of himself. Thank God it’s over.

PotatoBake888: Thank God.

TheBakingChick: You have no idea. I need to shower and sleep forever.

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