Page 115 of Hope & Harmony

Words couldn’t describe what was happening at that moment between us. The feelings she stirred with each stroke of our tongues. Feelings I didn’t think were possible to experience. That I didn’t even think existed.

I didn’t want to stop kissing her.

It was surreal.

Consuming.

And I wanted more.

When another soft moan escaped her mouth, I pecked her lips one last time before gradually pulling away. Already missing her touch. Incoherent thoughts ran rapidly through my mind.

I was grinning down at her as her eyes fluttered open, not removing my hands from the sides of her face. My infatuated stare hadn’t changed—if anything it was worse.

Murmuring against her lips, I rasped, “Like I said, you’ve never been kissed until now. Until me.”

CHAPTER 3

HAYLEY

It was the annual back-to-school carnival in Fort Worth, and everyone from our small town was there to celebrate the end of summer. Usually, I avoided this fair like the plague, but Joshua was insistent on us going and wasn’t taking no for an answer. Since that night on the lake two months ago, we’d spent almost every day together when I wasn’t with David.

I could immediately tell that Joshua didn’t like our friendship, not that I could blame him. We were best friends, and with all the rumors about us, I knew he had concerns but hadn’t mentioned them yet. I was aware it was coming, though.

Joshua and I were getting closer, and the more time I spent with David, the harsher his tone would become when he’d call me to hang out. The second I said I was with David, it was like night and day with his voice. He was biting his tongue, biding his time to bring it up, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t doing the same when it came down to asking him what we were doing and where this was going.

This was the first time I had these deep, intense feelings for a guy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved David, but it wasn’t like that between us. It was like a sister loved a brother, and the feelingwas mutual. But you wouldn’t think that with the way Joshua and David treated one another.

David was as protective over me as Joshua was. He’d already warned me about Joshua, saying he was going to hurt me. Joshua had the worst reputation with girls, and everyone knew it.

He was a huge player, and David was simply being a good friend, wanting me to steer clear of him. As much as I was worried that he would hurt me, I couldn’t stay away from him. There was something about the way Joshua looked at me, talked to me, made me feel that I couldn’t ignore or push away.

He made me happy, triggering butterflies in my stomach every time we were together. I never wanted our time to come to an end. It was getting harder to hide my real feelings about him, and a huge part of me knew he was aware of the effect he was having on me.

Once I stepped out of Joshua’s truck at the fair, he waited for me by the hitch of his truck, extending his hand when I got close to him. I cocked my head to the side, raising an eyebrow. He was going to hold my hand in public, and since we always hung out alone, I was a little caught off guard by his gesture. This only confused me further as to where our relationship was going. The more time we spent together, the more I realized how much of a romantic he truly was.

“Let’s go show off my girl, huh?” He grinned while I grabbed his hand.

I tried to keep my amused expression to myself as he tugged me toward him. We walked hand-in-hand into the carnival, strolling past all the rides until we were by the water. The fair was next to Eagle Mountain Marina, and he led us down to the docks.

Joshua loved the boats. He was always talking about them, saying how much he wanted to own a yacht one day. When wereached the end of the boat slip, he stepped over the railing onto a gorgeous yacht.

“Whoa. I’m not down for breaking and entering.”

He grinned again. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Not if we get arrested for trespassing.”

He laughed, nodding to the front of the boat. It was only then that I noticed there was a blanket spread out on the bow. He winked, pulling me onto the yacht.

“Wow,” was all I could manage to say as I slowly turned in a circle, taking in my surroundings.

The sun had just set, and every star shined bright above the water. I took in the blanket and picnic basket that was perfectly placed in the center of the bow.

“Is this another one of your moves? Do you bring all your girls here? I can see why you get laid as much as you do.” I chuckled to no avail, taking in his stern expression. “What?”

“Sweetness, let’s get one thing straight, alright?” He placed his finger under my chin to get me to look up at him, and I did, anxiously waiting for what he was going to say.

“Anytime we do things together, it’s the first time for me too.”

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