Page 24 of Until Now

My breath hitches and I feel him smirk against my skin. The cool morning breeze like ice as he moves his lips up my neck. I try to suppress a moan but fail.. Just before our lips meet, he stops. His eyes like molten honey stare into mine, asking for permission. He wants to know I’m okay with crossing this line.

Because once we do…

I don’t care. I’m tired of the games. Every time he touches me, I find myself wanting more. The small sensations up to this point have left me unsatisfied. I need more. I need to know what it’s like, so I close the space between us.

Chapter Sixteen

“Where are youheaded?” Kai asks when I meet him at the bottom of the front steps. He is carrying…logs? Wait, Eileen was serious about Daddy asking him to bring some logs in for Diana? He’s never done manual labor in his life. I wonder if Mother knows about this. She’d probably have a coronary. The thought makes me giggle. “You seem pretty dressed up.”

“I’m not dressed up.” I glance down at my outfit — a black T-shirt tucked into black jeans. A coffee brown colored cardigan over my shoulders and my hair is pulled into a loose bun.

“You’ve worn leggings almost the entire time you’ve been here.Thatis dressed up.”

“At least I own something besides dress pants.” I point toward the gray slacks he wears.

“Some of us like to be prepared.”

“For what, a board meeting? You’re in the mountains, Kai. Do you need me to buy you a pair of shorts while I’m in town?”

“Ha. Ha.” Kai wipes a bead of sweat from his brow setting the logs on the steps. “You and Nick heading into town?”

“Daddy and I are going to lunch.”

“You leaving Nick here?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said you and Dad were going to lunch.”

“Yes, Kai. I am leaving Nick here.” Finally, Daddy pulls one of the Wranglers from the garage at that exact moment. “If you would like to take him on a date, be my guest,” I say, climbing into the passenger seat.

§

I sigh as we pull into town wishing it was a longer drive. When I was younger, drives down the mountain felt like hours. They were filled with laughter and singing. Daddy kept a collection of old CDs in the center console for us to shuffle through: Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Police, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, Carpenters, Rod Stewart, the list went on. But, my favorite was always Tom Petty.

Daddy turns onto Peake Street and parks in one of the open spaces across from The Vintage House.

“Can we sit outside?”

“Always.” Daddy wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk towards the little white house on the corner of Main Street. The Vintage House is a small cottage that had been converted into a restaurant by the Hicks family. Esther “Grandma” Hicks was known for her delicious homemade meals. She would invite people off the street to enjoy dinner with the family almost every night. The house was passed down from generation to generation until it reached the great-great-granddaughter and current owner, Esther Hicks-West, named for her grandmother. The patio offers many entertainment options from people watching to stunning views of the mountains at the end of Peake Street to live music on the weekend.

“Welcome to Vintage House, how many?” The hostess asks without looking and I recognize her almost immediately. Her eyes widen when she finally looks up from the reservation book. “Oh my gosh, Nina!”

“Hi, Sarah.” Sarah Wilkes — a local girl who I spent most of my summers with. We spent many nights finding ways to keep entertained throughout the years, but I haven’t seen her in almost four years.

“Outside?”

“Please.” We follow Sarah out the front door. “How have you been?”

“Working this summer to pay for the rest of school. What about you? I haven’t seen you for a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve just had a lot going on. Starting the company and all…”

“She has a new boyfriend, Sarah. Don’t let her leave that out,” Daddy says.

“No more Lee?” Sarah has never liked Lee, she made that obvious before and after I started dating him. If I’m completely honest, I think that’s part of why we grew apart.

“Finally.” Daddy’s smile is large as he sits down and glances at the menu. Daddy has never commented much on my past relationships. I suppose I always assumed he was okay with the idea of me and Lee, but maybe I had mistaken his silence for acceptance when it meant something else entirely.

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