Page 89 of Ripped & Shipped
I look down at her, giving her hand a little squeeze. “They fit the rest of me.”
“Well, I guess they do, don’t they?”
Meg snaps more pictures. Once Ella Mae is satisfied, we head back inside for some iced drinks and a look at the photos.
Just like last time, we look like a couple in love. Ella Mae and Meg gush over all of them. I let them pick which ones I’ll post and which ones she will. I search the photos for evidence that Ella Mae feels anything like I do, but I can’t tell if she’s feeling anything or if she’s just a good actress.
CHAPTER30
Chris
“We really should have hadanother kissing shot,” Meg says to Ella Mae, as if it’s no big deal.
“Yeah. You’re probably right. We can do one right here in the kitchen. Right, Chris?”
“Uh. Yeah. Sure. Whatever you think.”
“I think you need to kiss me, is what I think.”
Kissing her for show is one thing. Kissing her when all these confusing feelings are constantly throwing me off kilter is another.
“So, why don’t you stand on one side of the island, Ella Mae. And Chris, you stand on the other, and then both of you lean on your forearms and meet in the middle with a kiss?” Meg suggests.
“Oooh. I love that!” Ella Mae says, totally into the concept of getting the best shot, and obviously completely unaffected by the idea of kissing me.
Ella Mae walks to one side of the island. I stand across from her. She props herself up on her arms.
“You know what? I’m going to need a boost. Get me the kitchen stool.”
Meg brings the stool over, and Ella Mae stands on it, bringing her more than halfway in my direction.
“Okay, Chris. You lean in now,” Meg coaches, like I’ve never kissed a woman before. I’m sure that’s how I’m acting.
I lean in, letting my weight fall onto my forearms until my forehead is resting right against Ella Mae’s. Her eyes are right there, and they’re not shut like most women’s when they’re about to be kissed. She’s looking at me.
We stare at one another like that for a few moments. I forget everything except the scent of her, and the way she makes me laugh, and the fact that she was happy about my Mom’s happiness. I forget the room, the date, the time of day. All I see is her. And, I think she might sense this isn’t a game to me anymore. I hope she does, because this kiss means something. At least, to me it does.
I lean in, and her eyes flutter shut. I move so my mouth is hovering over hers and then I brush her lips with mine, softly, lightly. But that’s not nearly enough. At least that’s what my lips say, so I move back again, brushing another gentle kiss across her lips. And then, a third time, but this time I linger. Ella Mae’s hand comes up behind my neck, holding me in place. Our mouths connect and we deepen the kiss. Tingles erupt across my body. I want more. More of this. More of her.
I’m about to tug Ella Mae toward me when Meg’s voice cuts through and reminds me where we are and what we’re doing.
“Okay! Okie Dokie, guys. That’s great! Good kissing. Great. Yep. I think we got some shots that will really work there.”
Ella Mae pulls away like she’s been shot out of a cannon. I blink. Then I stand up and concentrate on making my face neutral. My lips hum with a memory of our kiss. I can’t even look at Ella Mae yet. What we shared felt mutual. But maybe it wasn’t.
Neither of us says anything. Meg breaks the awkward tension by saying. “Let’s look at what we’ve got.”
Only, that doesn’t help much because the photos of our kiss look like nothing I’ve ever seen between me and a woman. They’re sweet, but also filled with chemistry. Maybe Ella Mae and Meg can’t see it, but I do. Everything I was feeling is captured right there in those photos.
Ella Mae moves on pretty quickly, getting right down to business.
“Grab your phone, Chris. We can upload everything right now.”
I pull my cell out of my pocket. Meg airdrops the pictures from the camera to each of us, and we compose our posts.
Within a few moments, Ella Mae’s getting responses from followers. She reads one out loud.
“It’s from him. ImSOBeefy. He says,This is looking serious. You’re breaking my heart Ella Mae. But I’m still here. I’ll catch you when he lets you down.”
