Page 52 of Hers to Kiss
Chapter 18
Going for a run was the best idea he had had all week. After six miles, the frustration from this morning’s argument with Keke had begun to subside. Too bad he didn’t have time to keep going. He had to be back, shave, and shower before breakfast.
He wasn’t sure what had set Keke off, but he decided someone had spoken to her about something. Or maybe it was her family. Their home lives had similarities; maybe she’d gotten into a fight with her sister Kat, which seemed unlikely. Kat was the sweetest woman he’d ever met. He could barely distinguish her from the baked goods she sold.
Pete avoided the office all day. His father and mother lurked there when they weren’t supervising the counselors. He managed to keep his distance from Bertie as well, who also didn’t look too happy. No one looked particularly enthused except Lea.
He could always count on Lea to cheer him up. He made sure to stick by her. Their groups did everything together. Pete focused as hard as he could on having a good time with the kids and keeping them excited and entertained.
That was hard work. He couldn’t keep his mind off Keke for more than a few seconds. Back and forth, all day long. By lunchtime, his head throbbed, and he was exhausted.
He sat in the cafeteria, surrounded by his looney tune kids, his eyes on Keke. She picked at her food, mostly shoving it around her plate.
He couldn’t admit it now, how their kiss had kept him up all night daydreaming of her face and how her strong body felt against his. She obviously didn’t feel the same. She had told him to grow up. Why did he believe she’d see him as someone other than Bertie’s baby brother?
Pete shoved the rest of his pizza in his mouth—about half a slice—much to the amusement of the kids, who laughed and pointed at Pete’s stuffed cheeks. He told Lea he was heading to the restroom and hurried out of the cafeteria.
When he exited the drab brown, wooden structure that housed the toilets, Lea was waiting in the small alcove that hid them from view.
He stopped short. “Hey…the kids.”
“They’re being watched, don’t worry. I wanted to talk to you alone, and we’re always surrounded by kids.”
“It is a summer camp.”
She giggled. “Right. It is that.”
“What’s up?” He tried not to fidget. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy her company; thoughts about Keke and Cornell had sucked too much brainpower today.
She came closer, running a hand up his arm. “You have goosebumps.” She grinned up at him. “Do I make you nervous?”
He could’ve cursed his body, but it looked too good lately for him to be mad at it. It had been the bane of his existence for years. He’d show it love now. “No,” he said, surprised it was the truth.
Her bottom lip poked out. “Oh, well. I guess you know that you make me nervous.”
“Do I?”
She nodded. “I really like you, Pete. I don’t know how much time we have together, with you maybe going to Cornell and my fellowship starting in another week or so.”
Cornell.
Keke was right. He had to make a decision. It was now or never.
Pete’s gaze dropped down to Lea’s lips. She was still talking about something, but he had stopped listening after Cornell. His hands went to her waist, and he drew her close. Lea immediately stopped talking. A look of expectancy filled her large blue eyes. Her full lips parted.
It was too easy.
Pete bent down the entire distance, taking her lips in a more savage way than he had anticipated. Lea moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hunger matched his. If he could pat himself on the back, he would. His first real kiss, with a beautiful girl, and he didn’t have to work for it.
Finally, he was just like the popular guys in school. The ones who could snap their fingers and girl upon girl would be falling over each other to have a shot at a second of the guy’s attention. Pete had always felt it was kind of sad—and disrespectful. He would never, and had never, treated a girl that way.
Until now.
What did he and Lea have in common except…mutual attraction? He definitely liked the way she looked, and she was an intelligent girl. But other than working at the same summer camp, he liked video games and she preferred nature. He enjoyed alternative music and she rarely listened to anything other than the soothing sounds of nature you’d hear at a spa. He didn’t like dogs and she wanted to adopt a bunch of strays to accompany all the fish and marine life she was going to collect once she had her own place.
“Oh, Petey,” she murmured.
No.This was wrong. He wanted only one woman to sigh his name.
