Page 73 of When We Were Reckless
“The only thing I need protection from is you.”
She wasn’t wrong. Thank fuck I had new goals and had set my sights on new adventures. That's what I needed to focus on. My career. My future. Not an eighteen-year-old girl who had somehow managed to get into my head and crawl under my skin.
An eighteen-year-old girl who had sent me the sweetest text messages last night, reminding me of how close we’d been and how I’d always looked out for her. I’d always wanted to protect her innocence and her childlike wonder.
And now… What the fuck did I want now?
“Can I ask you a favor, Jesse?” Camryn asked, dragging my attention back to her.
Shit. I’d zoned out. “Sure.”
She opened her car door and tossed her purse on the driver’s seat. Then she turned to face me and squared her shoulders like she was preparing for battle. “Will you kiss me goodnight?”
Not what I’d expected to hear. I stroked my jaw and studied her face, the streetlight casting a faint glow on her features. The determined look in her eyes and the set of her jaw made it feel like a challenge. I very much doubted that she’d ever had to beg for a kiss. “Why does this feel like a test?”
“Because it is. Kind of.” She moved a couple of steps closer. Close enough that I could smell her perfume. Floral and spicy. “I just want to see something.”
I knew what she wanted to see. If there was any chemistry.
“Humor me?” she asked with a smile.
Kissing a beautiful woman was not exactly a hardship. Part of me hoped that I would feel the spark that had been missing all night. The other part of me knew with absolute certainty that I wouldn’t.
I set my helmet on the ground, framed her face with my hands, and I kissed her. Then I waited to feel something.
Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
When I pulled away, I raised my brows, waiting for her verdict.
“Whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl.”
“What makes you think there’s someone else?”
She laughed and shook her head. “For the sake of my ego, let’s go with it. Better to think there’s a good reason you’re not into me.”
“It’s not you. You’re—”
“A great catch. I know.” She winked and got into her car. I liked that she was confident and didn’t make this awkward. “Take care, Jesse. And be careful on that motorcycle. They’re the leading cause of….” She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. “Sorry. Occupational hazard. Just drive carefully, okay? No speeding.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Liar.”
“Occupational hazard.”
Camryn gave me a little smile and threw her car into reverse. “See you around, Jesse,” she called out her open window before she drove away.
You couldn’t force something if it wasn’t there.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jesse
Twenty minutes later,I pulled into my driveway, my headlight illuminating the cherry red VW Beetle parked in front of my garage.
My sunshine girl.
Who was nowhere to be found. I’d expected to see her sitting on the deck, waiting for me but nope.
