Page 33 of Sugarloaf Ridge Lies

I melt into him as he kisses my temple.

When we get to the café, Jerry orders our coffees to go. I’m touched he remembers how I take my coffee.

“We’re not having it here?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Na-uh. To go. I’ve got an idea.”

Jerry keeps me in suspense as we wait beside the counter, no matter how many times I ask what he’s up to. The slow circles he draws with his finger on my hip set my insides fluttering.

“There you go, Jerry,” the young girl working the coffee machine announces as she slides two paper cups forward.

Jerry sweeps them up and nods for the door. “We’ll take my truck.”

Whatever this idea is, I find myself unable to refuse. “Okay.”

I can’t keep the smile from my face as we exit the café.

Paula and Bethany step into our path. Bethany forces a smile, but Paula’s face pales and her jaw goes slack.

“Ladies,” I say to be polite before stepping around them.

Jerry walks backwards towards his vehicle. “Can you open the door, sugar?” Eyes full of promise, he focuses on me as if my workmates don’t exist.

Sensing Paula’s gaze drilling into the back of my head, I lift my chin and square my shoulders. “You got it.”

***

Parking.

It was Jerry’s idea, but it was as if he could read my mind. Why sit around a busy coffee shop when we could be alone?

We took a few sips of our coffee, but once he parked the car in the deserted lot near the bus depot, more a graveyard for buses beyond repair, we couldn’t keep our mouths and hands off each other.

Frantic and breathless, we make out like overexcited teenagers sneaking off from their families. I can’t remember kissing ever being so bone-meltingly good. Adrenaline and anticipation thrums in my veins as we taste each other’s mouths and grope like we’re desperate to shed our clothes. Hesitation rules over knowing we have other places to be.If we didn’t have commitments today, how far would we take this?

A ringing sounds splits through the air.

I sigh against Jerry’s mouth and lick at my swollen lips.

He rests his forehead against mine and growls under his breath. “Bet you anything you like that’s Mumma bear.” Jerry winks and retrieves his phone from the dash. He chuckles and turns the display to me, confirming his suspicions.

“Sprung,” I whisper.

He rejects the call.

I straighten the collar of his shirt and sweep back his mussed-up hair. I may have got a little excited when I ran my fingers through it. I giggle at the gloss on his lips. “You better check yourself in the mirror before lunch.”

Jerry angles the rear-view mirror at his face and smooches his lips together then faces me and pouts. “What? Not my colour?”

I trace my finger down his smoothly shaved cheek. “The opposite.” Closing the distance between us, my lips press against his.

He hums against my mouth. Ringing fills the cabin once more, so Jerry sweeps his thumb over my cheek. “We’d better go.”

A loud sigh leaves my lips. “I guess so.”

He tilts his head. “You know what I’d rather be doing, right?”

I nod and squeeze my thighs together, picturing us having the time to take this further.

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