Page 8 of Cabin Kisses

I don’t look at the woman. I’m harsher than normal, but for months now, I’ve turned her down, and she’s not taking the hint. “Hey, Tracy. I’m not interested.”

She still doesn’t get it. She moves into my line of sight, blocking me from the view of the hallway. “So I thought—”

She reaches out to touch me, and I jerk back. “Don’t. I’m not interested.”

I glare at her, and it’s then I see Gina over Tracy’s shoulder and instantly I see red. Gina is talking to my friend, Jerrod.

I stand up and make my way to them. As soon as I reach them, I pull Gina toward me, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Jerrod, I see you’ve met Gina. She’s with me.”

Jerrod looks between the two of us. “Well, fuck me, Levi. Can you leave any for the rest of us?”

Gina jerks from me, staring up at me with her mouth hanging open. For just an instant, I see the hurt in her eyes, but it’s gone quickly. She looks at Jerrod. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“The hell we are,” I tell her.

She won’t look at me. Instead, she looks at Jerrod. “You want to dance?”

As soon as she says it, I know if I don’t get Jerrod away from her, I’m going to punch him in the throat. We’ve been friends for a lifetime, but that doesn’t matter right now.

I look at her, and it’s obvious she’s upset. I grab on to her waist and look at my friend. “First of all, you’re not dancing with her. Second of all, tell her the truth. Tell her what you meant.”

I swear if he fucks this up for me, I’ll never forgive him. He laughs. “I mean, women hit on him all the time. Probably because he has money and owns a mountain or some shit because we both know he’s not much to look at.”

Jerrod laughs at his own joke, but I don’t find it funny. Hell, I’ll never laugh again unless I fix this.

Jerrod’s smile drops, and he rolls his eyes. “Women ask him, but he hasn’t gone out in months... fuck dude, when is the last time you got laid? Anyway, he’s been spouting some shit about wanting to settle down. I don’t see the appeal of it...”

I step in front of him, positioning myself fully against Gina.

“I’m not a player. I’m not looking for some fuck or anything like that. I genuinely like you, and I want to get to know you.”

She’s looking everywhere but at me. “Can we go?”

Fuck! “Gina....”

She shakes her head. “Look, I believe you, but I mean, it doesn’t matter. We just met, and like I said earlier today, me and you don’t make sense.”

I start to argue, but she holds her hand up. “Look, the amount of women that are looking at you as if they’re about to stake their claim is a little overwhelming. Do you think we can get out of here?”

I wrap my hand around hers and pull her to the table I left. I grab both our jackets and head to the front of the bar. Before going outside, I help her put her coat on and then lead her to my truck. Everything was going perfectly, and now it’s all gone to hell. I take her outside, and with her hand in mine, I feel some better, but it’s not enough.

“What about you?” she asks.

I tighten my hand around hers. “What about me?”

“It’s cold, Levi. You should put your coat on.”

I shrug. The truth is, I don’t even feel the cold right now, but my indifference doesn’t faze her. She stops and pulls me to a stop with her. She pulls her hand from mine and grabs the jacket I’m holding. “Put it on.”

She looks at the bar and back at me. It seems she’s come to a decision. “If you want to spend time with me, you don’t need to be getting sick. I’m only here a few days.”

I take the jacket from her and put it on. I’m not used to having someone worry or care about me, and my heart starts to pound in my chest. With a smirk, I grab her hand again. “Truth is, honey, nothing is going to keep me away from you now.”

We walk to the truck, and I help her inside, putting her seatbelt on again. This time, I lean into her, caging her into the seat. I’ve wanted to kiss her again all night, and I don’t want to wait any longer. “I want to kiss you, Gina.”

She cups my face in her hands. “Do you know how bad of an idea this is? I don’t even understand what’s happening. This”—she gestures between the two of us—“doesn’t happen to me, Levi.”

I lean in closer. “This is happening, Gina.”

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