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They went through the house again, and he shut off all the lights and locked up. Lightning bugs had started to flit around in the air, and Genevieve stopped by the railing of the deck to watch them. She felt Kurtis’s body heat as he stopped beside her and looked out over the side of the hill at the little blinks of light all around them.
“This reminds me of my childhood.” She laughed to herself. “Except for the million dollar beach house and this amazing view. But the lightning bugs are the same.” She glanced over at Kurtis, who was smiling at her. He was close enough that all he’d have to do was lean six inches forward and their lips would touch.
A loud boom suddenly sounded from down the beach, and her face lit up. “Fireworks!” She took off down the stairs with Kurtis on her tail and jumped onto the blanket, facing down the beach where they’d walked from to watch the fireworks at a distance.
She wrapped the extra blanket over her shoulders and clapped her hands together. “I love fireworks.”
“Just wait,” he told her.
She eyed him curiously. “For what?”
The words were no sooner out of her mouth than a loud boom sounded, and she spotted a few trails of light climbing straight out in front of them from a barge out on the water. Her eyes followed as they reached their final height in the sky and burst into cascades of red, white, and blue.
Her hands came up to cover her mouth, and her eyes shot to his then back to the display. She’d never been this close to the fireworks before, and it was amazing. “Did you do this?”
“Skylar told me someone up the beach was getting married tonight and launching fireworks of their own.” Kurtis sat down and scooted close to her, taking the edge of the blanket from around her shoulder and tugging it until it wrapped around his broad shoulders too.
Genevieve scooted closer into his side to watch the show. He smelled spicy and sweet at the same time, and she tried to inhale deeply without him knowing, wanting to memorize his scent.
“You’re warm.” His voice was low and soft.
“So are you,” she replied, despite the goosebumps that traveled over her body at his words.
They watched as the sky lit up with a waterfall of twinkling white lights around a giant red star. She glanced over at him, only to discover that he wasn’t watching the patriotic display with her after all. His eyes were completely focused on her.
She shifted her body, turning to face him more, and his fingertips made contact with her cheek. The feather light touch as he brushed along her jaw and slid his fingers into the hair at the base of her neck made her shiver.
“Are you cold?” he whispered.
“No.” She breathed the answer, and they were so close now that her breath bounced off his face and onto her own.
“Gen.” She loved this new nickname he had for her.
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you.” His words were breathy, and she trembled as his nose brushed hers. “May I?”
She felt like giggling at how proper he sounded in that moment and at how giddy she felt. Her hands slowly slid up and gripped the fabric at the front of his T-shirt.
“You’re killing me here,” he breathed.
Her answer was to tug him closer and press her lips against his.
He gently held the back of her head, his thumb brushing over her jaw, while his other arm slid around her waist, bringing her even closer to him. His kisses were dizzying, his lips soft yet firm against hers, and it wasn’t long before she couldn’t think straight.
The loud and constant booms of the fireworks grand finale above brought them both out of their heady fog.
“Wow!” they both breathed at the same time, unable to look anywhere but at each other as the show ended.
He continued to hold her face in his hands as he placed soft kisses on each of her cheeks then one more on her lips.
“I like you, Genevieve,” he whispered in her ear. “So much.”
A delightful warmth spread through her body at the feel of his breath on her neck. “I couldn’t tell.”
With another soft kiss to her lips, he silenced her teasing laugh.
Genevieve sighed when the kiss ended. “I like you too, Kurtis.”