Page 10 of Hit the Ground
Firm and fast.
One breath worth.
My lips on his, pressing like it would only ever be this once. Maybe that was all I thought I’d get.
He didn’t return my kiss. Not at first.
He froze. Every inch locked like he’d stepped on a live wire.
I felt it and nearly expired on the spot.
Except…
Except, except,except.
His mouth moved.
Caleb Kelly was kissing me back.
Chapter Four
Caleb
Iwasn’tthinking,justreaching for something good.
Warm, sweet lips opened beneath mine, and a soft little body melted against me. My hands moved, gliding over her hips, surprised by the flare of them. I liked the feel of her. The taste. The feathery, floaty whimper she made as our tongues touched.
Everything about her hit me sideways. Kissing this woman was like biting into the first ripe peach of the season—not expecting much but ending up standing still for a second, taking it in.
She tilted her head, kissing me deeper, and something about the way she clutched at the front of my shirt made my mind go blank. White noise. The world had narrowed to this one bright, unexpected moment where Alice had her mouth on mine.
Then she pulled back.
And I stood there like a damn fence post, blinking at her.
Alice.
Alice had kissed me.
I’d never noticed the exact shade of Alice’s eyes. They were the color of the cottonwoods down by the south fence line. Livelyand bright, and when the wind hit just right, they shimmered. The kind of green that meant life was holding on.
I stared at her, probably looking like I’d taken a shovel to the head. She’d stunned me. This woman, who’d been nothing but polite in all the years she’d waited on me, had planted her lips on mine without warning. For no reason I could think of.
And I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
But I couldn’t say I minded. Not even a little bit.
She was flushed, eyes shining, chest rising with shallow little breaths. “Will you go on a date with me?” she asked. “One. Just to see.”
A date?
I wasn’t the dating kind. Didn’t see the point. Never had the time, and sure as hell didn’t have the energy to sit across from someone, pretending I was better company than I was.
But Alice wasn’t just someone, and I didn’t think she’d expect me to be anything other than myself.
And really, what was the harm in taking her out for a meal? One night. One dinner. I could do that much.
“Yeah,” I said hoarsely. “Okay. One.”
