Page 57 of The Longshot

“Aw, Gary,” I pity the way I say his name. “I’m sorry.” I reach for his hand, clutching it beneath my chin. “Will you forgive me?” I speak, flashing him a doe-eyed gaze. “Please?”

For a second, I’m enchanted by the way his deep brown eyes carefully assess my touch as he gently brings my hand up to his lips, his voice vibrating against my skin. “You know, Chelsie, that face of yours…” He kisses my palm with such tenderness. “Makes it incredibly hard to stay mad.”

I’m silenced as he slowly places my hand back down, though it's not in my lap like I expect. Gary places my hand on top of the car’s stick shift, where he quickly overlaps it. Within a second, my touch disappears within the breath of his hand.

“Hm?” he prompts me once more for a response. I hadn't realized I’d fallen into such a trance trying to memorize the intricacies of his palm. “Did you know that, Chelsie?”

“No,” my voice hardly above a whisper. All I know is that if he says my name one more time like that, I think I might just pass out. “I had no idea.”

There’s a glistening look in Gary’s eyes as he toys with my fingers, grazing over top of them one by one until he’s back to peering down at me in total adoration.

I can hardly accept the look as much as I can rationalize it. How is this possible? How am I here? How has this night gone so downright perfect? Is this even real?

I’d never known that you could get so easily lost in someone’s eyes, but I’ll be damned, it’s been happening all night long, yet now, with the sun setting behind him, glistening rays of light onto his skin, I can’t help but hope that I stay lost. Being lost in Gary’s eyes is the one place I’d never want to be found.

“So…” I adjust within my seat, attempting to break myself free from a spell that I don’t think can ever be broken. “What now?”

Gary smirks, shifting the car into drive as he pulls out onto the street. “I guess that depends. Did you have somewhere in mind that you’d like to go to?”

I ponder the thought. “How about we go for a walk?” I propose, searching for his eyes for confirmation. It’s hardly a challenge. Gary’s longing stare continues to make me one with the passenger seat. I want to scold him for his lack of focus on the road, yet there’s something addicting about the way he forces this sense of recklessness out of me.

“Lead the way.” Gary tilts his chin in an upright motion, gesturing ahead. “I’m at your mercy.”

Christ.

FIFTEEN

C H E L S I E

“How much farther?” Gary groans as I guide him up the hill behind Ruby’s house. It’s a serene spot that I discovered shortly after moving to Crawley and one that I’ve marked my claim over.

“Aren’t you supposed to be an athlete?” I protest. “Shouldn’t you be used to some physical activity?”

“You got me there.”

“So, stop complaining,” I show not an ounce of restraint when it comes to scolding him. “It’ll be worth it, I promise!”

“Can you at least just explain to me where we are?” Gary asks as I’m paces ahead of him, weaving my way through the tall grass that tickles along the bare of my calves.

“I thought you said at dinner you knew everything about this town?” I retort, peering back down at him with a cheeky look in my eyes. “Looks like somebody spoke too soon.”

Gary shakes his head softly, his hair bouncing along his forehead as he picks up his pace. “Well, it so happens...” He takes a seat beside me on the bench, not-so-subtly resting his arm in a position so that I have to lean back against it. I don’t mind. “That there’s this girl that I met, who’s proving to me that I’ve still got a lot more to learn…”

For a moment, I’m unsure if his sly comment is a referral back to the town or me, but when I look into his eyes, I know what he’s really trying to say. He wants to follow suit on his earlier desire—he wants to get to know me…

I need to let him.

I want to let him.

I suck in a breath, pondering where to even begin. There’s so much to share. So much for him to know, but maybe I should start with the basics for now.

The basics are good.

“Hi.” I extend my hand out to shake his. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Chelsie Anne Windsor. I was born in the port city of Hull on April sixteenth, which apparently means that I'm an Aries, but…” I lean in slightly, dropping my voice to a whisper. “If I’m being honest with you, Gary. I have absolutely no clue what that means.”

Rather than a response, Gary flashes me a questionable look—one I can't seem to decipher.

I pull back.

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